Super Smash Bros vs Capcom
by Cybertoy00
Summary: Worlds colide as the heroes of the Nintendo and Capcom universes  With some special guests along for the ride  are forced together into an unbelievable adventure! Adventure Mode to be confirmed.
1. Introduction

**Super Smash Bros** _vs Capcom!_

Disclaimer: _Super Smash Bros. _is property of Nintendo, while all Capcom games are property of Capcom.

_There are many universes, each containing a multitude of worlds. But out of all of those universes, the two closest together are the universes bearing the worlds of _Nintendo_, and _Capcom. _These parallel dimensions have co-existed side by side in harmony for ages- Through joyous cooperation at least, and blissful isolation at most._

_But something has gone wrong. The boundaries keeping the two realms has become unstable, causing worlds to merge. What is worse, there are there is a dark presence, causing those who would call each other friend to lash out in violence! I feel that this presence and the merging of worlds are connected, and if nothing is done, no one will survive. I have sent my greatest warrior to find the culprit, but he will need the aid of others to solve this dilemma…_

-These are the words of Palutena

**Cranky Kong: **Hmph, what a bunch of pretty words. Almost makes ya think you're about to play somethin' unique and creative, huh? Well, too bad, folks! This is just another fighting game with a stupid back story! I swear, some people will say anything to glorify their crap! You might as well toss in something about how we're all in danger from an invasion of flying cows and killer tomatoes because it _won't change anything_. Well, if you feel like spending hard-earned money on something you'll only play once, be my guest- you'll be demanding a refund from the cashier shortly.

_Here are the ones who will end this conflict…_

**Cranky: **Boy, look at these weirdos. Standards have really fallen if _these _clowns became stars.

-Name / Universe / _origin_

1- Mario / Nintendo / _Donkey Kong_

2- MegaMan / Capcom / _MegaMan_

3- Link / Nintendo / _The Legend of Zelda_

4- Ryu / Capcom / _Street Fighter_

5- Samus Aran / Nintendo / _Metroid_

6- Morrigan Aensland / Capcom / _Darkstalkers: The Night Warrior_

7- Donkey Kong / Nintendo / _Donkey Kong Country_

8- Mike Haggar / Capcom / _Final Fight_

9- Pikachu / Nintendo / _Pokemon Red _&_ Pokemon Blue_

10- Viewtiful Joe / Capcom / _Viewtiful Joe_

11- Princess Peach / Nintendo / _Super Mario Bros._

12- Chun-Li / Nintendo / _Street Fighter II_

13- Bowser / Nintendo / _Super Mario Bros._

14- M. Bison / Capcom / _Street Fighter II_

15- Pit / Nintendo / _Kid Icarus_

16- Arthur / Capcom / _Ghost 'n' Goblins_

17- Princess Zelda / Nintendo / _The Legend of Zelda_

18- Tron Bonne / Capcom / _MegaMan Legends _

19- Ganondorf Dragmire / Nintendo / _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_

20- Albert Wesker / Capcom / _Resident Evil_

21- Fox McCloud / Nitnendo / _StarFox_

22- Chris Redfield / Capcom / _Resident Evil_

23- Captain Falcon / Nintendo / _F-Zero_

24- MegaMan Volnutt / Capcom / _MegaMan Legends_

25- Luigi / Nintendo / _Mario Bros._

26- Zero / Capcom / _MegaMan X_

27- Kirby / Nintendo / _Kirby's Dream Land_

28- Amateratsu / Capcom / _Okami_

29- Meta Knight / Nintendo / _Kirby's Adventure_

30- Dante / Capcom / _Devil May Cry_

31- Ness / Nintendo / _Earthbound_

32- Strider Hiryu / Capcom / _Strider_

33- Solid Snake / Konami / _Metal Gear Solid_

34- Spider-Man / Marvel / _Spider-Man_


	2. Bio: Mario

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Mario

Bio: _The plucky plumber protector of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario is the most famous hero of the Nintendo universe…or any other universe. Courageous, determined, and all-around nice, Mario fights to protect the helpless from the forces of tyranny with a combination of well-timed jumps and quick-thinking. He also uses a plethora of power-up items to gain more abilities, such as throwing fireballs or spinning capes._

**Cranky: **Huh, would you look at this guy! He was just some bum carpenter who couldn't take a hit back in the day, now look at him. I was the star of that game, and I end up as some scrawny geezer in a rocking chair with a silly beard…life just ain't fair.

_Entrance: _A warp pipe grows out of the ground and Mario hops out of it.

_Special Move List;_

_Special:_ Mario throws a fireball that bounces forward until it hits an opponent. It's not very fast, but not very slow.

_Special+Up: _Mario jumps up suddenly, hitting anyone standing next to or above him. Coins fly out as he lands multiple hits.

_Special+Forward:_ Mario spins with his cape, and anyone or thing that is hit will be turned around, including projectiles.

_Special+Down:_ Mario powers up his FLUDD and sprays and torrent to push his opponent back. Causes no damage, but those soaked will move slower for a few moments until the water is shaken off.

**Cranky: **A glorified water pump… That was the worst idea yet, including that stupid romp through space!

_Taunt: _Mario says, "Do the Mario!" and begins to walk in place.

_Final Smash: _Mario transforms into Raccoon Mario from _Super Mario Bros. 3_. Immune to damage, and able to fly, Mario's attacks cause 3X as much damage as they did before it wears off.

_Costumes: _The first is his normal outfit. Next is red overalls and a white shirt and hat. Next is purple overalls and a yellow shirt and hat. Finally is his Dr. Mario outfit. In this costume, Mario's fireballs are replaced with vitamin capsules.

_Win Pose: _Mario will adjust his cape before making the peace/victory sign with one hand.

_Stage: _The stage looks like World 1-1 from _Super Mario Bros. _compressed. In the background, we can see 8-bit Koopa Troopas, Paratroopas, Goombas, and Hammer Bros. wandering around.

_Theme: _Super Mario Bros. theme.

_Ending_;

Mario attached the last wire together. With that chore done, he picked up the detonation plunger and marched away from the castle. He didn't stop until the castle was a good distance behind him, a _very _good distance behind. Once he was settled, he pulled out a walky-talky and turned it on.

"It's-a ready." He said into it.

"Good job," Chris Redfield's voice answered, "We're all done on our end- Just do your thing so we can end this.

"And thank you, Mario."

"No problem." Mario replied, and turned the walky-talky off. Taking hold of the detonator's handle, Mario pushed the plunger down and braced himself.

Nothing happened.

Confused, Mario looked at the detonator before looking back at the castle. Mario wasn't sure if he wanted to go back and see what was wrong. He remembered what happened last time.

_Boom. Boom-boom-b-b-b-BOOM!_

Every explosive set by Mario, Chris, and their allies went off, but instead of bringing the castle down, the combined force of the blasts were actually doing the opposite. The castle was blasting off- and up! Slack jawed, Mario could only watch as the castle rocketed up into the wild blue yonder. Once it went as far as Mario could arch his neck to see, the castle exploded in a spectacular display of fireworks, lighting up the night sky. After a few moments of confusion, Mario crossed his arms and smiled.

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Well, look who's back for more.

**Otacon: **Wow, you're facing Mario again, huh?

**Snake: **Looks like it…I wonder he's been up to since we last met.

**Otacon: **Mario's been exploring the galaxy lately, boldly going where no man has gone before. Of course, that wouldn't be Mario's first encounter with aliens. His very first encounter was back in 1989, when he saved the kingdom of Sarasaland from the invader Tatanga.

**Snake: **Space travel and aliens, huh? Sounds like science fiction to me. I thought Mario's adventures were more like fantasies.

**Otacon: **Well, some people consider aliens to be a fantasy.


	3. Bio: MegaMan

**Super Smash Bros. vs Capcom Character Bio**

MegaMan (Real name: DLN-001 "Rock Light")

Bio: _A robot warrior built by Dr. Light, Megaman uses his arm-based cannon called the Mega-buster to fight the forces of evil. Originally a housekeeping unit, Rock, as he was originally called, was enhanced with armor and weapons when Dr. Light's ex-partner began using robots to take over the world. MegaMan now defends the world from the schemes of the evil Dr. Wily with the help of his pet robot dog, Rush._

**Cranky: **Look at that dazed smile…I guess 'artificial intelligence' is nothing but a buncha hooey!

_Entrance: _MegaMan beams down onto the stage.

_Special Move List:_

_Special: _MegaMan fires his buster gun, shooting a ball of light. Holding down for a seconds will send out a charged shot, four times bigger than the normal shots.

_Special+Up: _MegaMan uses his dog Rush's 'Rush Coil' function to jump VERY high, even if he's going off the edge of the arena.

_Special+Forward: _MegaMan first grabs his opponent, if close enough, and 'copies' the special move they would use for this combo. He can then keep using that move until he suffers enough damage.

_Special+Down: _MegaMan kicks a Mega-ball from _MegaMan 8_. The ball normally goes up-diagonally.

_Taunt: _MegaMan points his buster and a 'Bang!' flag pops out.

_Final Smash: _MegaMan and Rush merge into one another to become Super MegaMan. Super MegaMan can fly for as long as the Final Smash lasts, and fire power fists that cause as much damage as a charged buster shot, only no charge time. Finally, Super MegaMan is immune to damage.

_Costumes: _The first one is his normal blue colors. Second is green. Third is red helmet, arms, and boots with grey torso. The third looks like from the _MegaMan Battle Network _series.

_Win Pose: _MegaMan flashes a thumbs-up to the camera before beaming out of the stage.

_Stage: _The stage resembles the stage you fight Shadow Man on in _MegaMan 2: Power Fighters_. As you fight, flying Robot Masters like CloudMan or TenguMan fly by in the background. Once in a while Auto will drive by on his truck, and you'll have to jump around him.

_Theme: _The title theme from _MegaMan II_

_Ending;_

"I'm all done here, Dr. Light." MegaMan said.

Dr. Light's face, transmitted through a hologram projector on Rush's back, nodded. "I see. It's good to know everything's all right. I won't be able to transport you home just yet though- we're getting some kind of interference, possibly from the area you're in. Get out from there and we'll try again."

"Got it. See you soon, doctor." Megaman replied. Once the hologram was off, he turned around.

Standing before him were dozens…maybe hundreds…of odd robots that looked more like camera's on treadmills with stumpy arms, that together looked like a single claw. They stared at him.

"Erm, do you guys need anything before I leave?" MegaMan asked awkwardly, feeling uneasy at their gaze.

Each ROB said nothing. As one, they cocked their heads.

"Well…I guess I'll be going then," MegaMan said, and gestured to Rush. "Let's go, boy."

Rush let out an electronic bark and shifted into his Jet mode. Within minutes, MegaMan was airborn, rocketing away into the sunset. After a moment, though, the ROBs began to trundle after him.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Colonel, who's this kid? What's he want?

**Colonel: **That's MegaMan, Snake, and he's no kid. He's actually a super advanced robot with combat capabilities.

**Snake: **Robot, huh? Awfully small, isn't he?

**Colonel: **Don't let his compact frame fool you- MegaMan's taken down larger and more heavily-armed robots with his arm cannon, the Mega-buster. But his most dangerous tool is his weapon-copier. In his normal games, that means he can equip himself with one of the weapons used by the Robot Masters. Here though, he can copy one of your special moves- Watch out!

**Snake: **He's pretty smug for a copy-cat. Looks I'll have to show him what the original can do!

**Colonel: **Don't get smug yourself. After all, you're facing the _original _MegaMan!


	4. Bio: Link

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Link

Bio: _the Hero of Hyrule, Link is an adventurer who travels the lands defeating evil and protecting the helpless. Armed with a magic sword and an unbreakable (But not un-eatable) shield, Link is actually part of a legacy spanning Hyrule's history- whenever the land is threatened by evil, a 'link' to the gods will appear to drive out the darkness._

**Cranky: **Isn't that just typical. Give some twerp a big sword, and they start acting like the world revolves around them!

_Entrance_: There's a small whirlwind and Link appears.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Link fires an arrow from his bow. The longer the Special button is held down, the farther and faster the bow will fly.

_Special+Up: _Link uses his spin attack, twirling around with his sword out. If he is in mid-air or jumping, the attack will propel him upwards.

_Special+Forward:_ Link throws his boomerang.

_Special+Down: _Link takes out a bomb and throws it. If the bomb doesn't hit the target right off, it will wait for a moment before exploding.

_Taunt: _Link takes out a bottle of red potion and drinks it.

_Final Smash:_ Link begins to slash at his opponent repeatedly until a Triforce symbol is carved into them.

_Costumes: _Link's normal costume is his costume from in_ Twilight Princess._ The next costume is from_ Ocarina of Time_. The third costume is the kind worn in_ Skyward Sword (_However, the Boomerang is swapped with the Beetle), while the fourth makes him look like Dark Link.

_Win Pose: _Link slashes his sword across the air once before holding up.

_Stage:_ The stage looks like the Hylian countryside. In the background, scarecrows from _Ocarine of Time _and _Majora's Mask_ will pop up and do a little dance. Sometimes Maple from the _Oracle _gameswill fly by on her broomstick.

_Theme:_ What else but the _Legend of Zelda _overworld theme?

_Ending_;

Link walked across the field unerringly. Behind him were the fallen bodies of monsters and machines that had attacked him. Before him was a hill, and on top of that hill was a statue that looked like a log with a single red eye in the center. Curious, Link walked up to it. After a moment's inspection, tapped the statue's eye. The eye began to glow, and the statue slid away from its place, revealing a hole. Intrigued, Link went down it. Once he reached the bottom, he found himself in a dark room, completely devoid of light. Reaching into his satchel, he took out and lit his lantern.

"Hoo-hoo-ha-ha-ha-ha! You have sealed you're fate, foolish mortal!"

Now that there was light, Link found himself facing a giant, bat-like monster. It was a monstrous thing, easily twice the size of Ganon. It had dozens of little eyes on stalks that glared down on him, glowing ominously, and its immense wings were edged with blades as sharp as his sword.

"Now, if you do not wish to suffer a most painful death," The creature boomed, "Give me all of-"

Without warning, the monster suddenly slumped forward, silencing as its eyes lost their light. Link, who had just brought out his sword and shield, stared in confusion.

"Um, hold on for a minute!" A high-pitched, almost child-like, voice spoke up. A small figure, a toy-like person with a big round yellow head and blue body, rushed out from behind the monster. The Servbot gave the monster a big kick. Almost immediately, the monster reared back up, the light returning to its eyes.

"-your treasure!" the monster finished.

"Yeah! You heard him!" The Servbot squeaked, "Give us allll of your treasure!"

Leaning to the side, Link could barely see two more Servbots, one of which was operating a remote control with a joy stick. He rolled his eyes.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, Otacon, I've been wondering, how come Link always looks different?

**Otacon: **Good eye, Snake! The fact is, there's more than one Link throughout the _Zelda _series.

**Snake: **More than one Link? You mean like that Toon Link person, right?

**Otacon: **Not quite. See, in various eras of Hyrule, there's always been a Link and Zelda to stand against Ganon's evil.

**Snake: **That's quite a coincidence.

**Otacon: **Actually, according to _Zelda II_'s backstory, all princesses of Hyrule are named Zelda.

**Snake**: That explains her. But what about Link?

**Otacon: **Uh, well, um… Maybe not all of Hyrule's heroes are named Link. I mean, on the file start screen, the name you give your file is also the name the hero goes by, so…

**Snake: **You're really reaching, Otacon.

(Edit: After playing Skyward Sword, I have decided to give Link that costume)


	5. Bio: Ryu

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Ryu

Bio: _A stoic Japanese martial artist, Ryu is the winner of the very first Street Fighter tournament. Trained by the master Gouken, Ryu travels the world in order to hone his skills, and discover what it truly means to be a warrior. Does not like shoes._

**Cranky: **Look at that punk…I've heard the Japanese don't like to wear shoes indoors, but outside as well? Yeesh!

_Entrance: _Ryu is in the lotus position before standing up and adjusting his headband.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Ryu fires his Hadoken ki-ball. You can charge it for more damage.

_Special+Up: _Ryu performs his Shoryuken, a jumping, spinning uppercut.

_Special+Forward: _Ryu leaps forward and performs a kick like a helicopter, his Tatsumaki.

_Special+Down:_ Ryu grabs his opponent and flips them over his back, kicking them in the process.

_Taunt: _Ryu looks thoughtful, and then picks something out from his feet.

_Final Smash: _Ryu fires the mother of all Hadokens, unleashing a blast of energy so larger than half the screen.

**Cranky: **What, is he from one of those new-fangled 'annie-may' things? What a cheesy display!

_Costumes: _The first is his normal white karate uniform and red headband combo. The next one is red, with blond hair. The third is a green uniform, but his normal hair color. The last one is the form he took as Evil Ryu from _Street Fighter Alpha 2_.

_Win Pose: _Ryu crosses his arms.

_Stage: _It's the same stage for Ryu in _Street Fighter_, Japan.

_Theme: _Ryu's theme from _Street Fighter Alpha 3_

_Ending_;

Ryu stared at what lay before him. Ever since the disruption between worlds began…no, even before that. Ever since Master Gouken had sent him on his journey, he had seen many unbelievable things, and witness powers he once thought to be mere fantasy. And the people! Never in his boyhood did think that the world would be filled with many…_unusual…_characters.

And now, he would face off against one of the most unusual of them all.

"Welcome, battle lovers!" An announcer screamed over the throng of cheering fans, "Today in Kanto Stadium, we have a very unique event for you! The Street Fighter champion Ryu…_against the Elite Pokemon Trainer Bruno!_"

Bruno smiled at Ryu, giving the martial artist a slight bow of respect. Ryu returned the bow with one of his own. Bruno held up a Pokeball, which released a four-armed, muscular creature into the ring, opposite of Ryu.

"Maaaaa-champ!" The pokemon bellowed.

"Today, for the first time ever, let the very first Man-vs-Pokemon battle begin!"

Ryu took his stance and smiled.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Mei Ling: **Oh, wow, Snake! You're fighting Ryu!

**Snake: **You mean the guy in the pajamas?

**Mei Ling: **Those aren't pajamas, they're the traditional karate training uniform.

**Snake: **I guess karate trainees are expected to train in their sleep. And why isn't he wearing shoes?

**Mei Ling: **There's nothing wrong with that. Lots of martial artists practice barefoot.

**Snake: **Up until they step on something sharp, I guess.


	6. Bio: Samus Aran

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Samus Aran

Bio: _One of the strongest bounty hunters in the galaxy, Samus is the bane of space pirates across the stars. Raised by the alien race known as the Chozo, Samus' strength lies in the power suit built by the Chozo. The suit's capabilities include an arm cannon, and the ability to curl into a ball and drop bombs. Also, Samus is a girl._

**Cranky:** Heroes are becoming too attached to their gadgets, these days…give me a barrel to throw, that's all I need!

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Samus powers up a charged shot from her arm cannon. The damage can up depending on how long it's charged.

_Special+Up: _Samus curls into her morph ball and spins upward.

_Special+Forward:_ Samus fires a missile from her arm cannon.

_Special+Down:_ Samus will curl into her morph ball and drop bombs that explode upon contact. Samus (While curled) can use the explosion to propel herself up slightly.

_Taunt: _Samus takes off her helmet and smirks before putting it back on.

_Final Smash:_ Samus fires off massive, but slow-moving laser beam. Doing this will result in Samus losing her power suit.

_Costumes: _First is her normal orange color. The second is pink torso and helmet with blue arms and legs. Third is

Zero Suit Samus

Bio: _Whenever Samus loses her power suit, she fights with a laser pistol that can double as an plasma whip. She also has advanced agility and martial arts which would be difficult when wearing the bulky power suit._

_Specials Move List;_

_Special: _Fires a blast from her pistol. Causes 6% damage.

_Special+Up: _Twirls her plasma whip upwards. Causes 7% damage per hit.

_Special+Forward: _Samus lashes her plasma whip forward. Causes 7% damage per hit.

_Special+Down: _Flips over her opponents faster than she would get by simply jumping.

_Taunt: _Samus will twirl her plasma whip around her.

_Final Smash: _She puts her power suit back on. However, her suit will return in the next stage.

_Costumes: _her first costume is her blue zero suit. Next is a red one. The third is a yellow one. The last is a dark brown one.

_Win Pose: _If it's normal Samus, she will take off her helmet and smile somewhat wryly. If it's Zero Suit Samus, she will slowly rotate her leg in the air before taking a one-legged pose.

_Stage: _It's the Norfair stage from past _Super Smash Bros. _games. Occasionally there will be a tidal wave of lava that you must enter a shelter to avoid being caught in. Sometimes the lava level will rise so that if you're not on the highest platforms, you will get burned.

_Theme:_ The theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior from _Super Metroid._

_Ending_;

The doors of Tricell's main office blew open in an explosion. Albert Wesker watched, impassive but focused, as the menacing figure strode in. Samus Aran ignored the many giant tanks filled with experimental monsters inside, ignored their primal screams, and continued to march towards where Wesker was standing in front of his desk.

"Albert Wesker, you are under arrest." She said firmly.

"And I suppose if I come quietly, I won't be harmed?" Wesker asked sardonically.

"Not yet." Samus replied, and took aim with her arm cannon. Before Wesker could react, she fired a fully charged ball of energy.

BOOM!

Wesker gaped at the giant hole where a good portion of his left wall used to be. But before he could respond appropriately, Samus fired a second energy ball at him, leaving his waist and legs to fall.

"_Now _I'm asking if you don't want to come quietly," Samus said, pointing at the hole she just made. "Unless you want to share the same fate as your clone."

Albert Wesker, his hands raised over his head, stepped out from the hole into the office.

"I'm impressed," He admitted, "How did you know…"

That was as far as Wesker got before another, much smaller ball of energy hit him. Wesker fell over, alive but unconscious. Samus strode over to him, and began to pat him down for any secret surprises he might have been holding. Satisfied, she began to bind his hands together and activated her suit's communicator.

"It's me," She said, "I got him. Thanks for the tip, Chris. Are you all right where you are?" she paused, listening to Chris Redfield's reply. "Okay. I'll meet you back at the entrance. And you'll have my reward ready, right?"

_Solid Snake Codec (Samus Aran)_

**Snake: **Well, look who's back for more. Some ladies can't get enough.

**Otacon: **Careful, Snake. Remember, Samus is no ordinary woman.

**Snake: **Yeah, yeah, super space warrior, trained by aliens, got it. But one thing's been bothering me.

**Otacon: **And what would that be?

**Snake: **When she becomes a ball, does it hurt?

**Otacon: **Well, of course it… uh, maybe it… I don't know. Why don't you ask her?

_(Zero Suit Samus)_

**Snake: **She took off her armor again…can't say I don't enjoy the view, though.

**Otacon: **Hmm, yeah, I suppose.

**Snake: **You 'suppose'?

**Otacon: **Well, I've been thinking. In these fighting games, aren't the female fighters supposed to be…bigger in some spots…you know…

**Snake: **…You're a sad little geek, aren't you?


	7. Bio: Morrigan Aensland

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Morrigan Aensland

Bio: _One of the nobles of the demon world, Makai, Morrigan is a succubus- a demon who of great beauty who seduces men. Bored with her duties as an aristocrat, Morrigan left the Makai in search of fun, traveling to man different worlds._

**Cranky: **Hooey! Would ya look at _her!_ What a hot tomato! Er, I mean, look at how indecently she's dressed! That's no way for a lady to appear!

_Entrance: _Morrigan and Lillith appear and merge into one Morrigan.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _dozens of tendrils shot out and wrap around Morrigan, stabbing her opponent.

_Special+Up: _Morrigan turns the wings on her back into jets, and can fly around with them for a few seconds.

_Special+Forward:_ Morrigan fires a ball of demon power.

_Special+Down:_ She grabs her opponent, rockets up, and then flies down in a pile driver.

_Taunt: _Morrigan flips her hair back and wiggles her finger in a 'C'mere, big boy' sort of way, giggling suggestively.

_Final Smash: _Morrigan sends out a purple heart. If it connects, a curtain is drawn over the entire scene, covering half of the stage. Multiple hearts float up from the curtain, and when it is pulled back, half of Morrigan's damage is transferred to her opponent.

**Cranky: **Hey, you can't do stuff like that in public! You hussy!

_Costumes: _The first is her normal appearance, the second is her with blond hair and pink leggings. The third is her with purple hair and a red torso, and the fourth has white hair.

_Win Pose: _A swarm of bats cover Morrigan for a moment before leaving, showing that Morrigan has changed into a pair of tight red pants and white, partially unbuttoned shirt.

_Stage: _It's a graveyard against a night background. If you look carefully, B.B Hood from _Darkstalkers _will peek out from behind one grave before hiding again.

_Theme: _Morrigan's theme from _Marvel vs Capcom 2._

_Ending_;

Pit stared at Morrigan as she lay on a beach chair, clad in naught but a bikini.

"You're not going back to your world?" He asked.

Morrigan gave him a smile. "Why should I? Things are so dull back in the Makai, and I feel that there's still much pleasure to be found here."

Pit sighed. "Well, if you're going to stay here, you have to promise not to cause trouble like you usually do."

"Aw, but I like causing trouble, you're such a spoil sport! " Morrigan pouted cutely, and stood up. "In that case-" She walked over close to Pit, and angled his head so he was looking at her face. "-I suppose I'll need help finding some fun. So…" She bent down and whispered into Pit's ear. "…_any ideas?_"

Pit gulped, a bit nervous at the lack of personal space. "W-well, just one…"

"Oh?"

Later, in Mute City, Morrigan's ecstatic cries could be heard all across town.

"Oh! Oh yes!"

The Falcon Flyer rocketed down the F-Zero track, going much faster than the manufacturer intended. In the driver's seat, Morrigan gripped the controls as she felt the g-forces push her back.

"This is great!" She squealed, and whooped as the Flyer hit another jump. "Yeah! Hahaha!"

In the back seat, Captain Falcon looked down at Pit as the angel clung onto him for dear life.

"You owe me for this." Cap said simply.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Mei Ling! Who is this woman? She's beautiful!

**Mei Ling: **Be careful, Snake. That's Morrigan, a succubus from the Makai. She's came into the human world because she was bored with life in the demon world.

**Snake: **So she's looking for a good time, huh?

**Mei Ling: **Snake, don't be deceived by her good looks. Succubae like Morrigan seduce men for their own pleasure, and suck them dry.

**Snake: **I wonder if she'd be interested in dinner and a movie…

**Mei Ling: **The only thing Morrigan is interested in is pleasing herself. She travels all over the multiverse looking for ways to amuse herself, and has appeared in many crossover games from Capcom. She might not be evil, but she's certainly selfish and petty.

**Snake: **I wonder if there are any flower stores open this late…

**Mei Ling: **Snake, are you paying attention? Snake? Snaaaake!


	8. Bio: Donkey Kong

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Donkey Kong

Bio: _the king of all Kongs, Donkey (Or DK to his friends) lives on Donkey Kong Island with his family. The son of the giant ape who kidnapped Mario's now ex-girlfriend Paulina, DK works to live up to his heritage. Whenever he isn't competing against Mario in the latest Mushroom Kingdom fad, DK protects his friends, and more importantly, his banana horde, from various villains living in Donkey Kong Country._

**Cranky: **That's my boy! Well, whenever he isn't acting like a knuckle-dragging doofus. Still, at least he's wearing formal attire.

_Entrance: _A barrel marked DK rattles before it explodes, showing DK.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _DK winds up his fist to unleash a devastating punch. Depending on how long the fist winds, the damage increases.

_Special+Up:_ DK will spin around rapidly. If he's in mid-air when he does this, he will helicopter up.

_Special+Forward:_ DK will headbutt his opponent, driving them into the ground. Not only causes damage, but will paralyze the enemy.

_Special+Down:_ DK will repeatedly slap the ground.

_Taunt: _DK will pound his chest while bellowing a great ape roar.

_Final Smash: _DK delivers a plethora of powerful punches before landing one three times more powerful than those.

_Costumes: _The first is DK's normal appearance. The next is a yellow-furred DK, then a green-furred DK, then a white-furred DK.

_Win Pose:_ DK will applaud his success before shaking the clapped together hands in the air.

_Stage: _The stage is Cranky's Cabin from _Donkey Kong Country._ Cranky will sometimes throw TNT barrels at random spots of the stage. All throughout the fight, Cranky will also make comments

_Cranky's Comments;_

"Hey, get off my lawn, you punks!"

"When your opponent charges his attack, that's the time to charge in!"

"Back in my day, we had to figure out how to beat the game ourselves! We didn't have an internet to look it up on!"

"You can win by ring out…but you can also lose that way, too."

"Soft! All you youngsters are just too soft!"

"You and your shaking controllers…we only had a joy stick and button, and they didn't move on their own!"

"Zzz… Huh? Wuzzat? You're so boring I fell asleep!"

"You can't hide the poor quality of this game forever, you know!"

"Don't be afraid to get creative…but don't show off too much."

"This soundtrack's pretty good…but you should've spent more time on the gameplay!"

"Hurry it up, that spot's reserved for a rugby game."

"Bunny Hood can make you run faster and jump higher… The real trick will be stopping."

"I hope the store has a good return policy. This game'll need it!"

"If Arthur gets hit enough, he'll lose his armor."

"All these flashing lights are bad for my eyes!"

"Hey, keep it down, my hearing's not that bad!"

"Without her armor, Samus is easier to throw around."

"Here, take this!" (Throws barrel)

"Go home, and let me get some sleep!"

"Bowser breathes fire, but he'll have to inhale eventually."

(If DK is fighting) "Why, I remember when you were just in diapers!"

(If Dante or Zero is fighting) "Get a haircut, ya hippie!"

(If Mario is fighting) "Hey, this is a Jumpman-free cabin!"

(If MegaMan is fighting) "Your games went back to 8-bit? Only good decision Capcom's made!"

(If Mario and DK are together) "Fight, junior! Avenge your old man!"

(If Ryu is fighting) "You're so serious…we ain't getting' any jokes from you."

(If Wesker is fighting) "And I thought was nuts!"

(If Arthur or Pit is fighting) "Ahh, those were the good ol' days…"

(If MegaMan Volnutt is fighting) "Hey…did you get taller?"

(If MegaMan and MegaMan Volnutt are together) "Huh? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

(If Peach, Zelda, Tron, Samus, Chun-Li, or Morrigan is fighting) "Women shouldn't fight, they should wait to be rescued!"

(If Haggar is fighting) "Wrestling's fake, y'know."

(If Kirby is fighting) "While you're here, could you vacuum up my floor?"

(If any of the _Street Fighter _characters are fighting) "You can only re-hash the same stuff so many times before people will stop coming."

(If MegaMan Volnutt and Tron are fighting) "It's like watching an old married couple who aren't married."

(If Amaterasu or Pikachu is fighting) "Here boy, go fetch the quality gameplay!"

(When the fight ends) "Oh, good, you're done! Now get out!" "Whoa, would you look at the time!"

_Theme:_ the title theme for _Donkey Kong Country_.

_Ending_;

DK sat outside of Cranky's cabin. Behind him was a giant pile of bananas, and in front of him was Cranky, sitting in his rocking chair.

"So, finally back from your big adventure," Cranky asked, "And beat all of those nasties, did you?"

DK nodded, reached into the pile and began to peel one banana.

"Thwarted the forces of evil, saved not one but two universes," Cranky went on, "And got your bananas back again!"

Once he finished his banana, DK threw the peel away. Almost immediately it was flew back, landing on his head. DK froze in shock.

"Of course, if it was me, I would have gotten it done in record time," Cranky added thoughtfully, "And I would've beaten all of the high scores, too!"

Ignoring Cranky, DK walked over to where he had thrown the banana, looking to find what had thrown it back.

"Yessiree, they don't make games like they do nowadays," Cranky mused, unaware of his being ignored. "You could make a dozen decent games with the memory used in this one…"

DK parted a couple of bushes aside. Instead of the culprit, he found a hole. Confused, he turned back to his bananas…

…only to find that it was gone. There was a large hole where they had been. DK clutched his head and moaned.

"…And just when you think you've done everything, you have to do it again!" Cranky ranted.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Otacon, I'm fighting Donkey Kong again, but there's something different about him. He looks…fitter, somehow.

**Otacon: **It's probably from the exercise he had in his latest adventure. His entire banana horde was stolen by a mob of evil, magic tikis, and DK ran around the entire island getting it back. He finished each tiki off with powerful punches, building up his arm strength.

**Snake: **No kidding…those fist look like they can shatter stone.

**Otacon: **There's nothing more dangerous than jungle fury Snake.


	9. Bio: Mike Haggar

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Mike Haggar

Bio: _The mayor of Metro City, Haggar used to be a professional wrestler until he went into politics. Even retired, however, Haggar stays in shape, maintaining the strength he had in the ring, and isn't afraid to get on the streets to personally deal with the city's crime._

**Cranky: **Aw, he's nothin' special…just another celebrity who got elected on his fame!

_Entrance: _Haggar, wearing his business suit, rips it off for his battle attire.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Haggar puts his opponent in a headlock, causing damage with each squeeze.

_Special+Up:_ Haggar leaps up with his opponent and comes back down in a pile driver.

_Special+Forward: _Haggar shots forward spinning with his arms out.

_Special+Down:_ Haggar jumps up and then down into a body slam. If he's already in mid air, he will just body slam.

_Taunt: _Haggar points at his opponent then gives him a thumbs-down.

_Final Smash:_ Haggar first hits his opponent with a backflip, then throws him into the air, after which he'll jump up and bring the enemy down with a spinning pile driver.

_Costumes: _First is his normal green pants, then a brown pair. The third costume is a red pair of pants, and finally, his green business suit.

_Win Pose: _Haggar will pump his fists together before shaking them in the air. "Now, that's why I like wrestling!"

_Stage:_ It looks likestreet and ally in a bad part of town. Graffiti, broken windows in derelict buildings, and crowds of unruly punks line the background. Occasionally, a car will drive by, forcing the fighters to jump to avoid it.

_Theme: _His theme from _Saturday Night Slammasters_.

_Ending_;

Outside the city hall of Sim City, Mike Haggar stepped up to his podium as the crowd cheered wildly. Banners that read CONGRATULATIONS! And NEW MAYOR are hung about. Haggar held up his hands, gesturing for silence. It took a few minutes for the people to settle down.

"Citizens of Sim City, I thank you all for your support," Haggar said, "And I promise you all that your votes will not go to waste! I will do everything in power to assure that schools go up…" He gave a double thumbs-up. "…and crime goes _down!_" he finished, turning his thumbs-down.

The crowd cheered again. They ate up Haggar's personality. But something echoed over the roars of the crowd.

An _actual _roar. The crowd silenced in shock, making the sound of a distant explosion all the more noticeable.

"Mr. Haggar!"

Haggar looked to the side to see the former mayor of Sim City, Mr. Wright, run up to him.

"Buh…Bowser's attacking!" Mr. Wright gasped, "He's destroying the entire block of East and Main!"

Haggar growled. "That's what _he _thinks!"

Haggar ripped off his coat and shirt, picked a pipe off the ground, and stalked off.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Colonel: **Snake, be careful! You're fighting the mayor of Metro City.

**Snake: **Mayor? You're kidding. This guy looks like he belongs in boxing ring, not city hall!

**Colonel: **It's no joke, Snake. Mike Haggar was once wrestler before his election, and swore to stamp out all crime in his town. The local syndicate didn't like that, and kidnapped his daughter Jessica to get his cooperation. In retaliation, Haggar, along with Jessica's boyfriend and his sparring partner, launched their own personal campaign to rescue her and bring the Mad Gear Gang to justice

**Snake: **Wow…that's one protective papa. And I thought wrestling was fake.


	10. Bio: Pikachu

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Pikachu

Bio: _Originally discovered in the Viridian Forest, the Pikachu is one of the most popular and well-known Pokemon. Yellow and mouse-like, Pikachu's cute demeanor belays a powerful force. It can store up massive amounts of electricity, ready to release it at a moment's notice!_

**Cranky: **Eh… huh? He's so small I thought he was originally a glitch!

_Entrance: _A Pokeball opens up, releasing Pikachu.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Pikachu fires off a spark of electricity that hops across the surface of the stage, even up and down walls.

_Special+Up:_ Pikechu zaps itself to a different place. There is a second charging time, allowing time to aim.

_Special+Forward: _Pikachu charges up for a few moments before flying forward in headbutt. The length and strength of the headbutt depends on the charge time

_Special+Down:_ A bolt of lightning shoots down onto Pikachu, zapping whoever's in the way.

_Taunt: _Pikachu curl up as if about to take a nap before catching himself.

_Final Smash:_ Pikachu surrounds himself in a ball of blue electricity and fly around, shocking anyone in its path.

_Costumes: _The first is Pikachu as is. Next is Pikachu wearing Pokemon Trainer from _Pokemon Red _& _Pokemon Blue_'s hat. The third hat the one belonging to _Pokemon Gold & Silver_'s male trainer. The fourth hat is the headband belonging to _Pokemon Ruby _& _Sapphire_'s male Pokemon Trainer.

_Win Pose:_ Pikachu waves at the camera in a 'look at me! I did it!' way.

_Stage:_ The stage is a forest. We can see various flying pokemon fly by in the background, and every now and then a random Pokemon lands onto the stage. It will attack whoever gets close enough, but can be easily knocked away.

_Theme: _Gym leader battle theme from _Pokemon Red/Blue_

_Ending_;

"Awww, it's so cute!"

The zombie girl from china picked Pikachu up and gave him a snuggle before putting him down. Pikachu sighed. Ever since that winged bat girl had invited her friends into his world, that exchanged had happened with every girl he met. It was becoming monotonous.

"Awww, it's so cute!" A little girl dressed like red riding hood cooed, giving Pikachu a snuggle. Once she put him down, Pikachu marked another line on the wall. It didn't matter if he hid or not, they would find him.

"Awww, it's so cute!" This time it was some sort of bee-woman who said it. after the snuggle, she flew off.

Pikachu sighed. Maybe he would go back and stay at Professor Oak's lab. Maybe the other Pokemon would distract these strange ladies.

"Awww, it's so cute! Here, mousy!"

It was a voluptuous cat-woman with white fur and blue hair now. She scooped up Pikachu and began to rock him back and forth. Pikachu began to feel sea-sick. He hoped that it would be over soon.

But then Felicia dangled him by his tail, going, "Mouse-ee! Mouse-ee!"

Pikachu's eye twitched. That was it.

"CHUUUU!"

KRAKOOM!

Pikachu used Thundershock!

It was Super Effective!

Felicia has fainted!

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, Mei Ling, I was wondering…

**Mei Ling: **Yeah, Snake? What is it?

**Snake: **Why are Pikachus so popular in _Pokemon_? When you get right down to it, they're pretty annoying.

**Mei Ling: **What are you talking about, Snake? Pikachu isn't annoying! He's cute! And he can shoot electricity from his cheeks! There's nothing annoying about that at all!

**Snake: **Okay, okay… Sheesh, I'm sorry I asked.


	11. Bio: Viewtiful Joe

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Viewtiful Joe

Bio: _Joe was once a normal flim fanboy- until the evil forces of Movie Land kidnapped his girlfriend. With the help of his hero Captain Blue, Joe became Viewtiful Joe, a superhero who can manipulate the camera tricks that aid with a movie's special effects._

**Cranky: '**Viewtiful'? SPEWtiful, more like! Look at that cheesy costume! Doesn't this kid have any shame? Or a LIFE?

_Entrance:_ Joes strikes a pose- "Henshin a-go-go!"- and transforms into Viewtiful Joe.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Joe throws his voomerang. You can also slightly control the path of the voomerang. Charging can set it on fire.

_Special+Up:_ Joe throws a bomb. These bombs won't explode until the fuses burn out, so Joe or the opponent can throw or hit them away. Will explode if struck by a special.

_Special+Forward: _Joe dashes forward so quickly you can't see him.

_Special+Down:_ Joe takes out and fires his Six Cannon.

_Taunt: _Joe strikes a series of _sentai _poses.

_Final Smash:_ Joe freezes the time of the entire stage –and opponent- while retaining his normal speed.

_Costumes: _first is Joe's normal red costume, then a blue one, then a yellow one, and finally a black one.

_Win Pose: _Joe will make another _sentai _pose, then break character by asking, "Did I do that right?"

_Stage:_ The entire stage looks like it's being played on a reel of film, with backgrounds from classic (cliché) movie genres, ranging from western to pirates to samurai/ninja slowing passing by.

_Theme:_ Joe the Hero, from _Viewtiful Joe_.

_Ending_;

Viewtiful Joe didn't move, but he didn't have to. He knew that he was surrounded by evil ninja from the nefarious Wasabi clan. Moving effortlessly, Joe dodged each one of the Wasabi ninjas attacks, catching the sword of the last one with his fingers. Grinning, he slammed his fist into the ninja's gut, sending him flying. Even before the poor schlub hit the ground, Joe had already taken the sword's hilt.

"Yeah, baby!" He yelled, facing the rest of the ninja.

"CUT!"

Joe looked away from the ninja. "What's wrong now?"

Cranky Kong, sitting in his rocking chair, glared at him. He held a bull horn in his hand, and wore a beret on his head.

"What's wrong now?" Cranky asked sarcastically, "The same thing that's always wrong! You're not supposed to talk in this scene!"

"Aw, but it sounds cooler this way…!"

As ham actor and director bickered, the rest of the movie crew, made up of various people from Nintendo and Capcom, began to prepare for the next shooting.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Otacon, there's this weird guy…

**Otacon: **Yeah, that's Viewtiful Joe! He's a super hero who used to be an ordinary high school film buff, until he gained the magical V-watch from his idol Captain Blue. Now he fights evil in Movie Land using camera gimmicks like from the _Matrix_ and others.

**Snake: **What's his deal? It looks like he's about to spazz out or something.

**Otacon: **Joe is a huge media fan, so being around his favorite Nintendo characters is a huge treat for him. I bet the urge to ask for autographs must be awful.

**Snake: **Autographs, huh? Maybe after the fight, I'll give him mine…


	12. Bio: Princess Peach

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Princess Peach

Bio: _the regal ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach is always getting kidnapped by Bowser, along with other villains…but mostly Bowser. But even being held hostage won't stop Peach from helping Mario, sending him useful items and helpful hints. And when push comes to shove, is always willing to jump into an adventure as well!_

**Cranky: **Huh? Uh…nope! She's not in this one! Must have been added to fill up pages, or something!

_Entrance: _Peach floats down with her parasol, dusting herself off upon landing.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Peach holds out Toad to block and redirect an attack. Also causes damage on his own.

_Special+Up:_ Peach leaps up with her parasol before gently floating back down.

_Special+Forward: _Peach hits her opponent with either rump.

_Special+Down:_ Peach pulls a turnip from the ground to throw.

_Taunt: _Peach take out her parasol and looks sweetly at the camera.

_Final Smash:_ Peach does some magic and several lambs fall from the sky, putting anyone hit by them to sleep.

_Costumes: _First is her normal pink dress, then white. Next is her with a yellow dress with brown hair, then finally is a black one with her blond hair.

_Win Pose:_ Peach claps at her own success, smiling sweetly.

_Stage:_ The stage is the roof of Peach's castle.

_Theme:_ The theme of Peach's castle from _Super Mario 64_.

_Ending_;

In the main hall of Peach's castle, most of the characters were chattering, making small talk. Then the doors at the top of the stairs opened, and out walked Princess Peach, flanked by two of her Mushroom Retainers. Stopping at the edge of the stairs, Peach looked down at the assembled people.

She said, "Everyone, shortly before our entire universe was under attack, as well as one of our neighboring dimensions. The result was both of our worlds being merged into one confusing mess."

Peach looked down to her left, at where Donkey Kong, Ryu, Kirby, and MegaMan Volnutt were.

"There were those who found themselves lost and confused in these new lands…"

She looked towards the right, where Tron Bonne, Dante, Morrigan and Pit were.

"While others found themselves at odds with their new neighbors!"

Peach then looked down directly in front of her, in the center of the crowd where Mario, Chun Li, Chris Redfield and Fox McCloud were standing.

"But in the end, we all came together to defend our homes from disaster when it struck!" Peach finished, "And so, on behalf of everyone, thank you. Thank you all." There was a pause. "Well, enjoy the party, everyone! Drinks are on me!"

Cheers arose.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, Mei Ling, I've been wondering. Princess Peach is always getting kidnapped and rescued…doesn't she ever return the favor?

**Mei Ling: **Actually, she does. During _Super Mario Bros. 3_, Peach sent Mario advice on how to defeat various enemies, as well as useful items. And in _Super Princess Peach_, she saved the Mario and Luigi. all by herself!

**Snake: **How'd she pull that off?

**Mei Ling: **With a magic parasol that transformed her sorrow, rage, happiness and serenity into actual abilities. You can tell what a skill monarch she is by how well she controls her emotions. She used her tears to flood away her problems, her anger as fire, her joy as a whirlwind, and her calm to restore her health!

**Snake: **I'm pretty sure that's not what it means to control your emotions.


	13. Bio: ChunLi

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Chun-Li

Bio: _One of Interpol's top agents, Chun-Li is recognized as the world's strongest woman. She is determined to bring down the infamous Shadaloo organization, and holds a personal grudge against their leader, who killed her father. _

**Cranky: **Well, I suppose every fighting game has to have someone from China. Could be worse, she could look like Bruce Lee!

_Entrance:_ Chun-Li bows respectively before taking her stance.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Chun-Li fires a _Kikoken_, a small ball of ki.

_Special+Up:_ Chu-Li jumps up kicking. "_Tenshokyaku_!"

_Special+Forward: _Chun-Li flies forward, spinning upside down with her legs out. "Spinning Bird Kick!"

_Special+Down:_ Chun-Li gives a mighty axe-kick, crushing her opponent into the ground.

_Taunt: _Chun-Li gives an 'Okay' gesture, saying, "_Gomen ne_!"

_Final Smash:_ Chun-Li launches into a devastating flying kick. If it connects, the screen will freeze and the appropriate Japanese characters will appear. "_Shichisei Senkuukyaku_!"

**Cranky:** Shouldn't these scribbles be Chinese, since she's from China? Aw, well. As long as it looks Asian, I'm sure no one will notice. Or care.

_Costumes: _The first is her normal blue outfit. The second is a red one. Then a green. The last is actually her costume from _Stree Fighter Alpha_.

_Win Pose:_ She will jump twice before giggling to herself.

_Stage:_ It's her stage from _Street Fighter II_.

_Theme:_ Chun Li theme from _Stree Fighter IV_.

_Ending_;

"What a crazy adventure…" Chun-Li, laying out a towel on the lawn. "God, I needed this vacation."

Chun-Li lay down on the towel, and was about to fall asleep when she saw this strange, small stalk sticking out from the grass. It was red, with a single leaf sticking out from the top.

"What's this?" She wondered, and gave it a pull. Instead of a root, she pulled up a tiny person, with the stalk growing out of its head!

"What the heck?" Chun-Li gasped, dropping the Pikmin in shock. She then noticed another odd stalk.

And another.

And another.

And another.

Before long, Chun-Li had pulled up over a hundred Pikmin. She stared at them. They stared at her.

After a few minutes of staring, Chun-Li shook her head. "A week ago, this would be the weirdest thing to happen to me. I need something to drink…"

Not a second passed after she said that when Chun-Li noticed that small portion of the crowd, about ten, had run off. A few minutes passed when they had returned, carrying a bottle of water.

Chun Li stared at this, rubbing her chin. "Hmmm…

Later, Guile arrived at Chun-Li's place. "Chun-Li, I know you're on vacation, but…"

Guile stopped talking. Before was Chun-Li, lying flat on her stomach, dressed in a bikini. All around her were Pikmin, fanning her, serving her food, and playing music.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Mei Ling, who's this lady with the legs?

**Mei Ling: **That's Chun-Li, the world's strongest woman! She specializes in kicking moves.

**Snake: **With pins that muscular, it's no surprise…

**Mei Ling: **She first debuted in _Stree Fighter II_- The very first woman to be featured as a playable character in a fighting game. Since then, she's been a mainstay in almost all fighting games produced by Capcom, especially their _versus_ series.

**Snake: **Looks like those legs were made for walking, too…

**Mei Ling: **Snake, did you know that 'only a fool stares at a woman's body'?

**Snake: **that a Chinese proverb?

**Mei Ling: **No, just good manners.


	14. Bio: Bowser

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Bowser

Bio: _The King of Koopas, Bowser is one of the most despicable villains. Callous, cold-blooded and a creep, Bowser is pure, unmitigated id, running rampant in a scaly body. There is no low Bowser considers to undignified or shameful- but his villainy is always thwarted by Mario._

**Cranky: **The giant monster who rules over his smaller minion…an oldie, but a goodie, like me!

_Entrance:_ Bowser drops in from the sky and gives a slight roar.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Bowser breathes fire. The longer the button is held, the smaller the flames eventually become until running out.

_Special+Up:_ Bowser retracts into his shell and starts spinning, rising up if in mid-air.

_Special+Forward: _Bowser slashes at his opponent, and then perform a flying suplex with them.

_Special+Down:_ Bowser jumps up and does a ground pound. If already in the air he will just do the pound.

_Taunt: _Bowser does his famous "Bwa-ha-ha".

_Final Smash:_ Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser, becoming larger and more damaging. The amount of damage he takes is also halved in this form.

_Costumes: _Bowser first form is his usual appearance. The second is a red color, then a blue. The last appearance is the same as his first- Only Bowser has no hair!

_Win Pose:_ Bowser will polish his bicep, grinning smugly at the camera.

_Stage:_ The stage looks like the last section of a castle in _Super Mario Bros._, where you meet Bowser. The bridge won't fall out, but an occasional podoboo will jump out from the lava pit below.

_Theme:_ the castle theme from _Super Mario Bros._

_Ending_;

Bowser sat on his throne, gloating. In his hand he clutched a scepter that had a tiny, golden crown at the head.

"Those morons thought they beat me, but I showed them!" Bowser chortled, "After all, there is only one king of the cosmos, and who is that?"

This question was directed to a Hammer Bro. standing guard next to the throne. It took a few minutes for the Hammer Bro. to realize that he was suppose to answer, and even more to come up with one.

"Can ya give me a hint?" The Hammer Bro. asked earnestly.

"He's sitting right here on this throne!" Bowser thundered.

The Hammer Bro. stared at the throne, then at Bowser. He looked at both from multiple angles.

"Well, gee, maybe you should get off him." The Hammer Bro. suggested.

Bowser eyes narrowed. Rolling them irritably, he picked the Hammer Bro. up with one hand.

"I'M TALKING ABOUT ME, YOU KNOW-NOTHING-NINCOMPOOP!" Bowser bellowed.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Otacon: **Look out, Snake! You're fighting Bowser!

**Snake: **Yeah, yeah, big monster-king. Anyway, I've been wondering. Bowser's got this red hair…but wasn't he bald in his first appearance?

**Otacon: **Huh? Oh, well, yeah, I suppose that's an interesting thought. I guess the game designers simply didn't have enough memory a perfectly detailed tyrant. The NES had much less memory than the WII, or Playstation 3 does now.

**Snake: **But he had hair in _Super Mario Bros. 3_…

**Otacon: **Uh…

**Snake: **And how can a turtle grow hair, anyway?

**Otacon: **…Y'know what, Snake? I'd just stop worrying about it. Maybe Bowser's wearing a wig.


	15. Bio: M Bison

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

M. Bison

Bio: _The founder and leader of Shadaloo, a criminal and military organization, M. Bison seeks world domination. A formidable foe, Bison's strength is enhanced with the mysterious 'Psycho Power' a form of energy he created that makes one stronger at the cost of your humanity…not that he cares._

**Cranky: **I wonder how much of that 'Psycho' went into the developers' heads.

_Entrance:_ Bison floats down, snickering.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Bison punches a Psycho Power-coated fist.

_Special+Up:_ Bison releases a burst of Psycho Power from his body.

_Special+Forward: _Bison coats himself with Psycho Power and rockets forward. He far he goes depends on how long the Psycho Power is charged.

_Special+Down:_ Bison flips forward, kicking his legs twice.

_Taunt: _Bison flourishes his cape, fist glowing with Psycho Power.

_Final Smash:_ Bison transforms into Final Bison, turning his costume grey and burning off Psycho power. He's faster and stronger in this form, and getting hit also hurts his opponent.

_Costumes: _First is his normal red costume, then blue, then green, and finally white.

_Win Pose:_ Bison takes off his hat and strokes his hair before putting back on, crossing his arms.

_Stage:_ Bison's stage from _Street Fighter II_.

_Theme:_ Bison's theme from _Namco x Capcom_.

_Ending_;

M. Bison looked down at his assembled forces. The multiple worlds incident had, as always, been confusing. He wondered if there was any point to these bizarre situations. Usually they just resulted in strange memories that quickly faded once the universes had separated.

But for once, more had occurred because of them. The unique elements of the Nintendo universe had been very useful in improving Shadaloo's forces. His military strength had increased tenfold from the research on that Aran woman's space armor alone. And even though the exact properties of it would remain a mystery, the weapons and shielding would be of great use.

"The time has come-" Bison declared, "-for us to rise! Shadaloo's might is the greater than it has ever been before!"

In any other rally, there would have been a mighty roar from the gathered forces. However, these minions knew what happened if you interrupted the boss while he was on a tangent.

"And now we will go-" Bison continued, -and show the world our unstoppable power! And we will not cease until there are none who do not know…" He raised his arms. "…the name of Bison!"

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Colonel: **Watch out, Snake! You're fighting M. Bison! Be on your guard!

**Snake: **What, you don't think this wannabe general can beat me, do you?

**Colonel: **That man is no joke, Snake. Bison is vindictive head of the Shadaloo. His cruelty and power know no bounds. In fact, his Psycho Power that enhances his strength literally saps away his positive traits while raising his negative ones, meaning that he's completely stripped himself of humanity.

**Snake: **Yeesh…seems like a lot of villains are doing stuff like that now.

**Colonel: **You're up against the man who started the trend, Snake. Be wary.


	16. Bio: Pit

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Pit

Bio: Hailing from the sky world of Angel Land, Pit is one of the angels' best warriors. Captain of the guard, he serves the goddess Palutena. Though he has defended the world from the underworld's monsters, he cannot fly of his own power.

**Cranky: **Someone should tell this kid that Valentines Day's passed.

_Entrance:_ Pit floats down in a radient beam of light. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Pit fires a light arrow. The path of the arrow can be adjusted by the player.

_Special+Up:_ Pit becomes able to fly anywhere for a short while.

_Special+Forward: _Pit slashes forward with the First Blade, sometimes sending out a small arc-shaped beam.

_Special+Down:_ Slams the Ore Club down. This is NOT a ground pound, Pit will remain in mid-air if he does it.

_Taunt: _Pit twirls his blades before crossing them in the air.

_Final Smash:_ Pit equips the Great Sacred Treasure and fires powerful beams in six directions from his body.

_Costumes: _The first is Pit's normal white robes, then blue, then green, and finally black.

_Win Pose:_ Pit gets on one knee in prayer before standing and holding his bow up.

_Stage:_ The stage is a layer of clouds. In the background are various greek temple-like buildings, situated on other clouds.

_Theme:_ The _Kid Icarus _theme.

_Ending_;

Pit flew down through the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds to maintain a clear vision.

"_Pit, you had done well to stave off the chaos caused by the merging of our two universes,"_ Palutena had said, _"And with the defeat of the enemy causing it, the realms will soon drift apart."_

Soon Pit had passed through the cloud layer and saw that he was now over a city. Narrowing his eyes, he spotted his target and sped up.

"_But there are still many dangerous elements that put both of our worlds at risk,"_

Pit landed outside of the church. Glancing at the mutilated bodies at the steps, he suppressed an urge to vomit and walked towards the entrance.

"_These villains will be cruel beyond measure..."_

Bracing himself, Pit forced the doors open. Once inside, he looked towards the now-desecrated altar. The demon lord Mundus looked down at him.

"Have you come to die, boy?" Mundus asked mockingly.

Pit swallowed.

"…_But I know you can do it."_

Grinning, Pit knocked and aimed his bow.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, Otacon, Pit was originally this little Cupid-boy, right?

**Otacon: **Well, the correct term is cherub, but yeah. So?

**Snake: **So how come now he's this teenager?

**Otacon: **Well, at the end of the original _Kid Icarus_, if you got a 100% completion, Palutena would give Pit a more mature form. Plus, it _has _been over twenty years since he made an appearance before _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_. Anyone would change during that time.

**Snake: **the less you pay attention, the more shocking the change when you do…

(EDIT: Changed Pit's down and forward attacks, as well as the Final Smash)


	17. Bio: Arthur

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Arthur

Bio: _A brave and valiant knight from days old on a quest to save his Princess from the demon king, Arthur fights with an array of weapons such as a lance, sword, and even burning torches. Arthur's biggest problem is that his armor keeps falling off if suitably damaged._

**Cranky: **I wonder how long this clown stays fresh in that tin can of his?

_Entrance:_ Arthur, clad in just boxers, runs onto the scene and quickly puts his armor on.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Arthur fires an arrow. If charged, he can fire up to three arrows, all going in different directions.

_Special+Up:_ Arthur throws a burning torch.

_Special+Forward: _Arthur throws a lance.

_Special+Down:_ Arthur slashes his sword up, jumping, and then slashes it down.

_Taunt: _Arthur thumps his chest, showing off how 'sturdy' his armor is. If armorless, he will try to do this, but stop when he remembers he's armorless.

_Final Smash:_ Arthur obtains his Golden Armor, becoming invincible, with 5X attack power. After its duration ends, though, he becomes stripped to his boxers. Without his armor he becomes easier to toss around. The next Final Smash restores his normal armor. Regardless, he'll always have armor in the next match.

_Costumes: _First costume is his normal armor, then green armor, then blue, and then black.

_Win Pose:_ Arthur, with or without his armor, holds up a key for all to see.

_Stage:_ Looks like a stage from _Ghosts 'n' Goblins_, primarily the first one.

_Theme:_ Theme of _Ghosts 'n' Goblins_.

_Ending_;

Arthur deftly jumped out of the way, dodging Bowser's punch. Growling in frustration, the Koopa King began to breathe fire, shooting fireballs at the knight. Arthur began to run around the room, just barely avoiding the flames. Spotting an ax at one end of the room, Arthur rushed towards it. Jumping through the air, Arthur grabbed the ax's handle, pulling it out of its stand as he fell on the ground. Getting to his feet, Arthur whirled about to face Bowser- but he needn't have rushed. A trap door had opened beneath Bowser, sending the monstrous turtle plunging into the darkness.

Confused, but relieved, Arthur strapped the ax to his back. Looking around, he saw that a new doorway had appeared with Bowser's defeat. Walking down it, Arthur saw that there was light at the end of the tunnel. He had traveled quite far, and defeated many beasts, but he knew for a fact that his princess was close at hand…

When he reached the next room, all that could be found was a small figure, who had a head like a mushroom cap.

"We're sorry!" Toad squeaked, "But your princess is in another castle!"

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Who's this guy in the metal jump suit?

**Colonel: **That's Arthur, the hero of the Capcom game _Ghosts 'n' Goblins_. When Satan kidnapped his princess, Arthur journeyed into the demon world to rescue. Luckily for you, Arthur's armor is notoriously unreliable, and will fall apart if struck hard enough.

**Snake: **But if he can take on demons with that kind of problem, then he must be incredibly tough…


	18. Bio: Princess Zelda

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Princess Zelda

Bio: _The daughter of the royal family, Zelda is the crown princess of Hyrule. Despite her young age, Zelda possesses both great magic and greater wisdom. As such, she is always the main target in Ganon's schemes to take control of the kingdom, and the Triforce. Whenever she can, Zelda does her best to help Link out in his adventures._

**Cranky: **Another damsel who can't stay outta trouble…what's the world coming to?

_Entrance:_ There is a flash of blue light and Zelda appears.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Zelda surrounds herself in a force field that bounces back projectiles.

_Special+Up:_ Zelda teleports herself in a flash of magic to the direction chosen by the player.

_Special+Forward: _Zelda creates a fireball that can be controlled by the player. Can explode at player's discretion.

_Special+Down:_ Zelda transforms in Sheik.

_Taunt: _Zelda waves cheerily.

_Final Smash:_ Zelda fires an arrow made of golden light.

_Costumes: _The first is her _Twilight Princess _outfit. The second is the dress she wore in _Ocarina of Time_. The third is her costume from _Skyward Sword_. The fourth is the appearance she had in _Twilight Princess _when Ganondorf possessed her.

_Win Pose:_ Zelda clasps her hands together and looks up and away.

Sheik

Bio: _The mysterious 'ninja' who acts in Zelda's name, few know his true meaning. In actuality, Shiek is another identity Zelda takes whenever she wants to move about Hyrule without being noticed. In that form-fitting but form-concealing jumpsuit, Shiek is faster and stronger than Zelda, but lacks her magic._

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Sheik throws a needle. If charged, Sheik will throw several needles one after another.

_Special+Up: _Sheik will teleport in a puff of smoke to the direction chosen by the player.

_Special+Forward: _Sheik flips out a whip forward.

_Special+Down: _Sheik transforms into Zelda.

_Taunt: _Sheik does a one-handed handstand.

_Final Smash: _Sheik fires an arrow made of golden light.

_Win Pose: _Sheik throws something down- POOF!- and vanishes.

_Stage:_ The entrance to Hyrule Castle. Everyone now and then the doors will open up, showing the Triforce.

_Theme: _Princess Zelda's theme from _Twilight Princess_.

_Ending_;

Princess Zelda sat outside in the castle's garden. The incident with the merging worlds had been resolved, though Zelda was worried.

Looking to the sky, she wondered, 'What will happen if the worlds cross over again? How will we defend ourselves?'

Getting up, Zelda saw something lying in the grass. It was one of those 'gun' weapons fighters like Fox McCloud and that Chris Redfield man used. She stared at it for a moment. Then, checking to see if someone was watching, Zelda picked the gun out of the ground. After noting its weight, she began to aim with it, striking aiming poses from 80s television shows.

BANG!

The statue she happened to be pointing at lost its head as a thin trail of smoke wafted from the barrel. Zelda stared at the damage she had caused, and would have kept staring if she hadn't heard the panicked yells. Tossing the gun away, the princess of Hyrule strolled off, whistling innocently.

_Solid Snake Codec (Princess Zelda)_

**Otacon: **Hey, Snake, I've been wondering…

**Snake: **What?

**Otacon: **Link's saved Zelda a lot of times, right? Well, do you think there's something…more to them by now?

**Snake: **More? What do you mean, more? And weren't those 'lots of times' different Links and Zeldas?

**Otacon: **Y-you know what? Just forget it. It's not important.

**Colonel: **Let's try to stow that idle chatter, boys!

**Snake & Otacon: **Yes, sir!

_(Sheik)_

**Snake: **How does she do it?

**Mei Ling: **do what, Snake?

**Snake: **Not just her clothes..but her hair and skin color…she even gained muscles!

**Mei Ling: **Oh, are you talking about Sheik? I told you before- magic!

**Snake: **And I keep telling you… magic? Are you kidding me?

**Mei Ling: **I don't see why you're being so stubborn, Snake. You've seen supernatural power before, haven't you?

**Snake: **And that's why I don't want to see it again.


	19. Bio: Tron Bonne

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Tron Bonne

Bio: _the head engineer of the Bonne family pirates, Tron is a teen genius- and she knows it. Spunky, self-assured, and prone to mood-swings (She IS a teenager, after all.), Tron rides her personal battle robot, the Gustaff, into battle. She also has a crush on MegaMan Volnutt, but would sooner die than admit it._

**Cranky: **Tron seems to have a good head on her shoulders, but most of its hair!

_Entrance:_ Tron runs in on the Gustaff. Tron stands up in her seat, points dramatically, then sits back down.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Tron throws out a Servbot. The Servbots can wander around on their own and cause damage, but can be easily kicked away.

_Special+Up:_ The Gustaff shoots out a burst of flames, burning whoever's standing directly in front.

_Special+Forward: _Tron fires a bullet from the Gustaff's arm-cannon.

_Special+Down:_ The Gustaff scoops out a chunk of rock before slamming it back down.

_Taunt: _Tron leans forward and waggles her finger condescendingly.

_Final Smash:_ Tron snaps her fingers, and a horde of Servbots stampedes across the stage, damaging and carrying away anyone caught in the throng.

_Costumes: _The first is a green Gustaff. The second is a purple Gustaff. The third is a yellow Gustaff. The fourth is a blue Gustaff, while Tron has blond hair and red clothes.

_Win Pose:_ Tron covers her ears as the Gustaff fires three times in the air. As confetti falls down she stands up and makes the victory sign.

_Stage:_ The Geselchaff hanger bay from _Tatsunoko vs Capcom_. In the background are Teasel Bonne and Bon Bonne, cheering. If Tron isn't fighting, she'll be there too. If there are two Trons fighting, Teasel will looked confused.

_Theme:_ The Bonne family theme from _MegaMan Legends_.

_Ending_;

On a hill, Tron and MegaMan Volnutt watched as a castle in the distance burned.

"You know Tron, you were amazing back there," Volnutt said, "I've never seen work so much firepower so skillfully."

"Oh, thank you, MegaMan." Tron replied coyly.

"And you know, I've been thinking," MegaMan continued, turning to face Tron. "You're such a great partner, and so good with machines- a lot better than Roll is- that maybe we should work together on a more permanent basis."

"Why, MegaMan!" Tron gasped, "What are you saying?"

MegaMan got on one knee and took Tron's hand. "What I'm saying it, Tron, will you…"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

Tron gave the Servbot a kick, sending him- and the image playing from the star-shaped rock he had found- tumbling off the hill. Behind them, another Servbot was talking to a floating star with a mustache.

"So, this hill is covered in wishes?" Servbot No. 38 asked.

"Oh, yes," Eldstar said, "But only those that haven't come true yet."

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Colonel: **Snake, that's Tron Bonne of the Bonne Pirates.

**Snake: **Tron? That's a funny name for a girl.

**Colonel: **She's a brilliant inventor, who's built dozens of dangerous machines. With the kind of firepower she works with, the Bonnes have been able to put several islands under siege. But her most dangerous inventions are her Servbots.

**Snake:** Those little lego-men? They look like children, and children's toys.

**Colonel:** The Servbots are indestructible. No matter how much punishment they take, they'll get back up again after a few minutes.

**Snake: **If Tron has access to invulnerable materials, why doesn't she make the rest of her war machines from it?

**Colonel:** Most likely it's due to insufficient funds. The Bonnes are always trying to make a big score, but whatever success they have comes and goes.


	20. Bio: Ganondorf Dragmire

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Ganondorf Dragmire

Bio: _Ganondorf was once the evil leader of a band of thieves from the desert, but all that changed once he touched the Triforce. With the the Triforce of Power, Ganon has attempted to conquer Hyrule many times, but his efforts are always thwarted by Link and Zelda. But no matter how many times he's slain, Ganon always comes back…_

**Cranky: **I never thought I'd see a beard sillier-looking than mine!

_Entrance:_ A burst of purple flames, then Ganondorf appears.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Ganondorf punches forward with a fist of dark power.

_Special+Up:_ Ganondorf leaps up, grabs opponent, then blasts him.

_Special+Forward: _Ganondorf lunges, grabs his opponent, and blasts him.

_Special+Down:_ Ganondorf kicks forward with a leg cloaked in darkness. If he's in the air, he'll kick down instead.

_Taunt: _Ganondorf holds up a fist burning with purple fire.

_Final Smash:_ Ganondorf transforms in Ganon, the monstrous, pig-like King of Evil! Armed with his Trident of Darkness, Ganon's presence fills the entire screen with darkness (Except for any present characters) and sends out blue fireballs.

**Cranky: **And I thought it was just the developers who were being pig-headed…

_Costumes: _First is his outfit from _Twilight Princess_, then a blue version, a red version, and a green version.

_Win Pose:_ Ganondorf summons his Trident and holds it up victoriously.

_Stage:_ The stage is a nighttime, horror-version of Link's. In the background, Ganon's pyramid from _Link to the Past_ is seen. A moblin will sometimes throw a bomb onto the stage.

_Theme:_ the Dark World theme from _Link to the Past_.

_Ending_;

Power.

Ganondorf could feel it.

The power…!

Ganondorf let the raw essence of the cosmos flow into his body. And when it did, he knew that all of his dreaming and scheming, his past failures and defeats, had been nothing more than distractions, minor trivialities compared to this moment of awe-inspiring greatness. Even the Triforce was nothing before this grand energy. At last, he was a true god.

No, more than that.

He was The God.

"Din! Nayru! Farore! Three goddesses of Hyrule!" Ganondorf called out as his form began to glitter like a demonic disco ball, "Can you see! The rise of this world's Supreme Being! I am Ganon! GOD OF GODS!"

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, if all of the Links and Zelda's are different people, does that mean there are different Ganondorfs?

**Mei Ling: **'fraid not, Snake! While Link and Zelda are a legacy of their own, there's only one King of Evil. When he touched the Triforce, Ganondorf gained immortality. Even if his mortal body is destroyed, his dark and twisted soul will linger until made whole with his evil power!

**Snake: **Gr…magic, huh?

**Mei Ling: **C'mon, Snake! Don't tell me you still don't believe in magic after all this time!

**Snake: **No, I was thinking, what's the point of killing someone who won't stay dead?


	21. Bio: Albert Wesker

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Albert Wesker

Bio: _Once the leader of STARS Alpha team, Wesker was revealed later to be a mole from the Umbrella Corporation that the team was investigating. Now working with the Tricell company, Wesker's experiments with various virus' have given him superhuman abilities. He plans to create a virus that will kill all but a chosen few for him to rule over as a god._

**Cranky: **Maybe he should experiment on some new hair dye, I can see the roots!

_Entrance:_ Wesker has his back turned to the camera, talking on a cell phone. He hangs up and faces his opponent.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Wesker fires a shot from his pistol.

_Special+Up:_ Wesker teleports to a new location.

_Special+Forward: _WEsker thrusts his palm out and unleashes some force.

_Special+Down: _If Wesker is in front of his opponent, he will teleport behind and kicks.

_Taunt: _Wesker's sunglasses break. He puts on a new pair.

_Final Smash:_ Wesker takes off his glasses than starts zipping all over the stage, making multiple strikes.

_Costumes: _First is his black outfit, then a white one, then a green, and then a red one.

_Win Pose:_ Wesker adjusts his glasses, then turns away.

_Stage:_ It's the same as his stage in _Marvel vs Capcom 3_, except the tanks now contain miscellaneous Nintendo creatures, like Piranha Plants, Metroids, and Starfy.

_Theme:_ Deception from _Resident Evil_.

_Ending_;

Wesker sat down at the desk in his lab, which, due to the similarities to the room he had back at Umbrella Corporation, he had started to called the Umbrella Lab. He began to type on his laptop.

'Wesker's Log #1736; The multiple worlds incident is over, much to my relief. It seems my second excursion into an opposing universe was triggered by a being of greater malevolence than before.'

Wesker paused and glanced at the coffee mug that had inexplicably appeared on his desk. Printed on the front were the words "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO WORK HERE BUT IT HELPS." However, most the letters were faded, so that in the dim lights of the lab it read "BE CRAZY IT HELPS".

Wesker went back to typing. 'Greater malevolence…and greater idiocy. Most of the beings in the other universe some to have annoyance written into their very DNA. Luckily, the ample amount of resources and materials, as well as new research subjects to study, should make up for all of the headaches.'

Wesker allowed himself to smile. If he looked around, he would have seen vats full of odd creatures, such as Gorons, Clefairies, and other weird things. One of them was holding a sign that read "science rulz".

'I am certain that the secret behind their powers and resilience will break the barrier between me and godhood.'

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Who's this creep in the sunglasses?

**Colonel: **Be careful, Snake! That man is Albert Wesker, the mastermind behind the incident in Raccoon City. He's dangerous.

**Snake: **Tell me about it…is it just me, or are his eyes red?

**Colonel: **It's a side effect from his enhancements. Wesker's experimentation with viruses have given him superhuman abilities. He plans to wipe out most of the human race except for a few for him to rule over.

**Snake: **One of those types, huh… Any advice?

**Colonel: **Stay on your toes, Snake. Wesker's speed is such that it can look like he's teleporting to different places.

**Snake: **I'll keep that in mind.


	22. Bio: Fox McCloud

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Fox McCloud

Bio: _The leader of the StarFox team, Fox is an ace pilot. Whenever danger threatens the Lylatt System, Fox and his buddies will be there to help the Cornerian Army…for a slight fee, of course. Though he normally goes into battle flying his Arwing, Fox is adept at hand-to-hand combat, armed with a laser pistol and miniature shield generator._

**Cranky: **Well, here he comes, folks! Flash Gordon in fur!

_Entrance:_ An Arwing flies by, dropping Fox.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Fox fires a shot from his laser pistol.

_Special+Up:_ Fox surrounds himself with fire, then rockets in the direction chosen by the player.

_Special+Forward: _Fox shoots forward past his opponents. Can be blocked.

_Special+Down:_ Fox activates his Reflector to block attacks and can reverse projectile moves.

_Taunt: _Fox yells "C'mon!"

_Final Smash:_ Fox yells "Landmaster!" and beams up. His Landmaster tank falls onto the stage to blast his opponents.

_Costumes: _First its his normal green pants and white flight jacket. The second is a red jacket and white pants. The third is a blue jacket and black pants. The fourth is a green jacket and red pants.

_Win Pose:_ Fox twirls his pistol cowboy style before holstering it.

_Stage:_ It's the top of the Great Fox as it flies through the Lylatt System. In between deep space it will rocket across planets from the _Star Fox _series such as Corneria, Titania, and Dinosaur Planet. Occasionally Venom-craft will take a shot at the stage.

_Theme:_ _StarFox 64 _theme.

_Ending_;

Fox gripped his yoke tightly, beginning to sweat. All around him were enemy fighters flying through the air, blasting away loudly- but not enough to drown out the advice of his teammates.

"Do a barrel roll!" He heard Peppy shout.

Fox grunted, already doing just that. It didn't help much.

"Watch yourself! Behind you!" Slippy cried out.

Fox quickly did a loop, putting himself at the enemy's rear. One shot later and it was history.

"You're heading towards their main guns- Don't get careless!" Falco said.

Fox licked his lips, reaffirming his hold on the yoke. But his hands were becoming sweaty, and as the larger battleship loomed over him…

…_he slipped…_

BOOM!

Fox groaned as the screen went black. Red letters filled the void.

GAME OVER

YOU LOSE

As a countdown appeared, Fox leaned out of his seat. "I almost had it that time- quick, gimme another quarter!"

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Snake, here.

**Slippy: **Roger, Snake! This is Slippy!

**Snake: **You again! Don't you have anything better to do?

**Slippy: **Not really, things have been pretty quiet for the StarFox team. I gotta keep busy.

**Snake: **And hacking into my communications channel was a good way to pass time?

**Slippy: **Is it ever! You wouldn't believe the hilarious stuff you guys say when you think no one's listening!

**Snake: **…Hrrrmm…


	23. Bio: Chris Redfield

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Chris Redfield

Bio: _Once a member of STARS, Chris now works at the BSAA which he helped found. Following the incident at Raccoon City and the Spencer Estate, Chris fights bioterrorism and other Umbrella-like threats the world over. _

**Cranky: **Look at all of those guns! That boy must be trying to compensate for something, like ability! Whatever happened to picking up and throwing whatever you had at enemies?

_Entrance:_ "All right, let's get this mission started." Chris cocks his handheld gun.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Chris fires his gun.

_Special+Up:_ Chris throws a grenade.

_Special+Forward: _Chris fires several rounds from his automatic rifle.

_Special+Down:_ Chris slices down with his sword.

_Taunt: _Chris checks one of his weapons, the one chosen randomly.

_Final Smash:_ Chris takes out a bazooka and a targeting scope appears on the screen. The scope can be moved onto the opponent, who Chris will blast.

_Costumes: _First is the outfit Chris wore in _Marvel vs Capcom 3_. The second is a red variation. The third is a green variation. The last is some kind of zebra color scheme.

_Win Pose:_ Chris says "Mission accomplished." On his headset.

_Stage:_ It looks like the mansion from _Resident Evil._

_Theme: _Chris Redfield theme from _Marvel vs Capcom 3_.

_Ending_;

Chris, crouched down behind the bushes, felt his muscles tense. He had been skulking through the lower parts of the marsh for some time now, since shortly before the sun had risen. For the umpteenth time, he checked his weapons. Everything (As always) was where it was supposed to be.

When Chris had heard about it, he knew he had to check it out. But the people of the Nintendo universe had warned him how difficult it would be. They mentioned how even the best marksmen could fail at this.

But Chris wasn't the kind of person to let idle rumor get him down.

Then he heard a rustle. They were appearing! Quickly, Chris jumped up and fired two rounds. Missed both times.

As the pair of ducks flew off into the horizon, the hunting dog Chris had borrowed snickered.

"Oh, shut up." Chris grumbled.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Who's this guy?

**Colonel: **That's Chris Redfield.

**Snake: **right, so what is he? A wizard, space captain, werewolf?

**Colonel: **None of the above, Snake. Chris is an ordinary human being, one equipped with a variety of firearms.

**Snake: **You're kidding. No fireballs? No wings?

**Colonel: **'Fraid not. Chris was once a member of STARS, but now works with the BSAA. He fights bioterrorism all over the world.

**Snake: **He's part of some super soldier program, right?

**Colonel: **Not to our knowledge, no. The abilities he has is his skill with weapons and a mean left hook.

**Snake: **You mean there's nothing outrageous or strange about this guy at all? …Weird.


	24. Bio: Captain Falcon

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Captain Falcon

Bio: _One of the most famous bounty hunters in the universe, Captain Douglas Jay Falcon also doubles as a champion of the F-Zero races. Owning a training facility in Mute City, Falcon lives a lonely life, due to the amount of enemies he has. His vehicle of choice is the Blue Falcon, said to be the best racer around._

_Entrance:_ The Blue Falcon drives up, lets Falcon out, and drives off.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Falcon punches forward, yelling "Falcon PUNCH!" with a fist surrounded by fire.

_Special+Up:_ Falcon leaps up, grabs his opponent, blasting them with fire.

_Special+Forward: _Falcon shoots forward, delivering an uppercut.

_Special+Down:_ Falcon kicks forward with a leg of fire. "Falcon KICK!"

_Taunt: _Falcon salutes. "Show me yo' moves!"

_Final Smash:_ Falcon snaps his fingers, and his Falcon Flyer zips by. If it hit the opponent, the opponent will end up on a F-Zero track- just in time to be run down by the Falcon-driven Falcon Flyer. "Blue FALCON!"

**Cranky: **Back in the day, we drove cars that had wheels, not rockets. And we liked it!

_Costumes:_ Aside from his normal outfit, Falcon also has a red version, and green version, and a black version.

_Win Pose:_ Falcon does some fancy kicks.

_Stage:_ Mute City. Occasionally, F-Zero racers drive by, forcing characters to jump for safety.

_Theme: _An instrumental version of _Meaning of Truth_, Captain Falcon's image song from the _F-Zero_ anime series.

_Ending_;

The Falcon Flyer surged down the road towards the fortress in the distance. In the cockpit, Captain Falcon shifted gears. His computers told him that he was nearing his destination, but he could have figured that out for himself. The gathered army in the distance was a telling sign, and the red dot beyond them was where he needed to go. Increasing his speed, Falcon knew that he only had one shot at this.

By some trick of fate, the drawbridge leading to the fortress was being raised just as Falcon was crossing it. So the Falcon Flyer began to live up to its name as it was propelled into the air.

But the Captain wasn't worried. He had experienced worse in his life as a bounty hunter. This wouldn't even make the top ten. Activating his auto-pilot, Falcon ejected from the cockpit. As Falcon reached began to fall, his target glared up, unafraid.

"I WILL NEVER DIE!" the villain boomed, "BISON IS ETERNAL!"

Falcon raised his fist. "Falcon _PUNCH!_"

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Otacon: **Hey, Snake…

**Snake: **What?

**Otacon: **Falcon PUNCH!

**Snake: **Not bad, but it's more like… FALCON…punch!

**Otacon: **Oh yeah? Then how about…Falcon…Kick!

**Snake: **That's nothing, check this out; FALCON-KICK!

**Colonel: **Will you two quit it?

**Otacon & Snake: **Sorry, Colonel.


	25. Bio: MegaMan Volnutt

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

MegaMan Volnutt

Bio: _A young man living in a world of endless water, MegaMan Volnutt works as a digger, exploring ancient ruins left behind by an advanced civilization from long ago. With weapons designed by his foster-sister Roll, Volnutt fights the robots lurking in the ruins, discovering their secrets. Recently, he's learned that he's actually an incredibly advanced bio-mechanical android created by the ancient people, with the memories of his old life stored in his pet monkey robot, Data._

**Cranky: **Look at him! He's not even wearing a helmet! What a bad example for the kids!

_Entrance:_ Volnutt checks his Mega Buster before taking a stance.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Volnutt fires his Mega Buster. Unlike MegaMan, Volnutt's buster shoots a continuous stream, that can be aimed in any direction. However, he can't move while doing this.

_Special+Up:_ Volnutt jumps up in a manner similar to Ryu's _Shoryuken_, using his Drill Arm.

_Special+Forward: _Volnutt fires his Powered Buster. It's several times more powerful than the Mega Buster, but until the first shot connects, it can't be fired again.

_Special+Down:_ Volnutt swings his Blade Arm.

_Taunt: _Data pops up on his shoulder while Volnutt looks confused.

_Final Smash:_ Volnutt fires his Shining Laser, a multi-colored continuous beam of light.

_Costumes: _First his normal blue armor. Then a green one. Then black. Finally, it's back to blue, but he's wearing his helmet.

**Cranky: **_Now _he's putting a helmet on! Guess he couldn't rely on that thick head.

_Win Pose:_ Volnutt pumps his arm.

_Stage:_ Looks like the area where the final battle in _MegaMan Legends _took place.

_Theme:_ The theme 'Flutter vs the Gesellschaft' from _MegaMan Legends_.

_Ending_;

The doors to the final chamber opened up, letting Volnutt walk through. He looked around in confusion. The room was empty! After all of the effort he put into getting this far, from navigating the maze-like design of the ruins to defeating the bizarre creatures guarding it, his work was not going to be rewarded.

Or was it? Volnutt noticed that there were several unlit torches in the room, as well as a large pedestal at the end of the chamber. Rubbing his chin in thought, Volnutt went to each torch and lit them. Soon the room was bathed in the warm glow of their light.

There was a faint noise like a bell ringing, and a large treasure chest appeared on the pedestal. Smiling, Volnutt walked over and opened it up.

Inside was a large silver gemstone, very much like a refractor.

"You found a silver rupee! Now you have 100 rupees!"

Volnutt looked down.

Data bounced. "Oo-kiki!"

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Colonel, did MegaMan have a growth spurt?

**Colonel: **You're not fighting the first MegaMan, Snake. This is MegaMan Volnutt, the star of the _MegaMan Legends _series.

**Snake: **_Legends_?

**Colonel: **_MegaMan Legends _was first released in 1997 for Playstation. It was later made for the Nintendo 64 in 2001 under the title _MegaMan 64. _It was the first three-dimensional _MegaMan _game.

**Snake: **What makes him so special?

**Colonel: **Unlike previous incarnations of MegaMan, Volnutt here is human, wearing special armor and weapons.

**Snake: **Wait, you mean underneath that shiny blue exterior, he's just a normal kid?

**Colonel: **Actually, the ending of the first _Legends _game suggests that he might be artificial too…

**Snake: **Hmm… that sounds familiar…


	26. Bio: Luigi

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Luigi

Bio: _Taller, but clad in green clothes, Luigi is the younger brother of Mario. Luigi does not seek out adventure as frequently as Mario does, and his careful, cautious manner is often mistaken for cowardice. However, when suitably pressed, Luigi is just as capable of taking action as Mario is, and has even been on a few adventures of his own._

**Cranky: **What a loser! I liked him better before he didn't have a personality.

_Entrance:_ A green pipe grows out of the floor. Luigi pokes his head up cautious before jumping out.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Luigi throws a fireball that just soars across, not touching the ground.

_Special+Up:_ Luigi jumps up suddenly, hitting whoever's above him. Unlike Mario, Luigi just does one big strike.

_Special+Forward: _Luigi can charge before flying forward in a headbutt.

_Special+Down:_ Luigi pulls out his Poltergust 300 and vacuums, anyone or thing closer to him.

**Cranky: **A vacuum, of all things… a dopey weapon for a dopey guy!

_Taunt: _Luigi calls out "Mario?" very softly.

_Final Smash:_ Luigi summons 'Brobot' from _Super Paper Mario _and unleashes a slew of missiles.

_Costumes: _First is his usual green hat and shirt /blue suspenders, then green overalls and white hat/shirt. Third is a black suspenders and purple hat/shirt. The fourth is his 'Mr. L' costume from _Super Paper Mario_

_Win Pose:_ Luigi does his 'double V-sign' from _Luigi's Mansion_.

_Stage:_ the stage looks like world 1-1 from _Super Mario Bros. 2_ compressed. In the background, we can see Snifits, Shyguys, Tweeters, and Birdos wandering around.

_Theme:_ the first world theme from _Super Mario Bros. 2_.

_Ending_;

Luigi was having a good vacation so far. Nippon was every bit as nice and relaxing as he had been told. Looking back, he recalled the wonderful festival being held at the village Kamiki, and taking part in the dance contest with Mr. Orange, as well as visiting the various shrines. He even got to meet Sakuya, the wood sprite.

Luigi was so busy reminiscing that he didn't notice the terrible form of Yami appearing behind him.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Mei Ling: **You know, Snake, Luigi's kind of amazing, isn't he?

**Snake: **Isn't he?

**Mei Ling: **When you think about all of the things he went through… He was scared the whole time.

**Snake: **Is that important?

**Mei Ling: **It is! To go forward, even when paralyzed with fear is a sign of great strength.

**Snake: **I always thought he went on those adventures for Mario's sake.

**Mei Ling: **That's also cool!


	27. Bio: Zero

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Zero

Bio:_ A highly-advanced robot built by Dr. Wily, Zero was activated several years after MegaMan's time. One of the Maverick Hunters, Zero fights protect humanity from rebellious and destructive reploids. Armed with his trusty Z-saber and Z-buster, Zero fights for peace alongside his ally, MegaMan X!_

**Cranky: **Zero is right! Shouldn't someone give that hippy a hair cut?

_Entrance:_ Zero 'beams down' like in a _MegaMan_ game.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Zero slashes his Z-saber down, sending out a crescent of energy.

_Special+Up:_ Zero jumps up slashing with his Z-saber. "_Ryuenjin!_"

_Special+Forward: _Zero zips past his opponent without touching them.

_Special+Down:_ Zero will charge and fire his Z-buster. Range is not good.

_Taunt: _Zero taps his helmet, muttering, "No, not busy, X."

_Final Smash:_ "_Dark Hold!_" Zero hits his opponent up in the air and holds them in place with levitation. Then he transforms his Z-Saber into a giant blade and slashes at them.

_Costumes: _First is his normal red and white color. The second is a blue color scheme. The third is a green one. The last is a black and purple combo reminiscent of Bass from the classic _MegaMan _series.

_Win Pose:_ Zero just beams out as he beamed in.

_Stage:_ Looks like the opening stage of _MegaMan X_. Several well-known characters from that series are seen, like Vile or the Colonel.

_Theme: _Zero's theme from _Marvel vs Capcom 3_.

_Ending_;

Zero stood on the top of a hill, staring at the scene before him. While the rest of the fighters were celebrating their victory, he couldn't bring himself to join in the festivities. Even with the threat gone, Zero felt concerned. This was not the first time the Capcom universe had come into contact with another, and the conflicts that always followed worried him. Was there a common factor at work, like Master Hand in the Nintendo universe?

As Zero turned to walk away, he heard a voice.

"Even if bring peace to the land…it is meaningless without peace in your heart."

Zero looked back to see Meta Knight staring at him.

"I know," Zero replied, "That's why I have to go. I'm not at peace."

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Otacon, who's this guy with the Rapunzel hair?

**Otacon: **That's Zero, a highly advance android called a Reploid.

**Snake: **He's a robot?

**Otacon: **Zero first appeared as MegaMan X's ally in _MegaMan X_ in 1993.

**Snake: **Why would anyone give a robot a ponytail that long?

**Otacon: **He eventually became more popular that X, earning a starring role in another series!

**Snake: **Seriously, it doesn't even make sense!

**Otacon: **You're not listening to me, are you?


	28. Bio: Kirby

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Kirby

Bio: _A pink puffball living in Dreamland, Kirby often finds himself acting as the land's protector. Possessing a powerful inhale power to go with vigorous appetite, Kirby is spurred into action by his stomach's needs than justice. Kirby can also gain the power of whatever he inhales._

**Cranky: **He should inhale something with decent gameplay, that's what he should do!

_Entrance:_ A warpstar crashes onto the stage, dropping Kirby.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Kirby inhales his opponent. Once he does, he can use their _Special _move until sufficiently damaged, as well as their costume.

_Special+Up:_ Kirby jumps up and down with a blade in hand, creating a little shockwave when he lands.

_Special+Forward: _Kirby swings a hammer.

_Special+Down:_ Kirby transforms into a rock.

_Taunt: _Kirby waves at the camera, going "Hiiii!"

_Final Smash:_ Kirby transforms into Microphone Kirby and releases powerful soundwaves that damage anyone on screen.

_Costumes: _First is Kirby's normal pink color. Then yellow. Then green. Then red.

_Win Pose:_ Kirby does his little slide-slide hop dance from his games.

_Stage:_ It's like the Green Greens stage from past _Super Smash Bros. _games. Every now and then, Wispy Woods will blow, pushing characters to one side or the other.

_Theme:_ The music from the credits of _Kirby's Dreamland_.

_Ending_;

Kirby was in a good mood. Princess Peach's party was going quite well. Music was playing, people were chatting, and the universe had just been saved. But the best part hadn't happened yet. Then a wonderful, _wonderful _feeling arose inside of him.

The smell of food!

"Dinner is served!" Someone shouted.

Kirby bounced happily towards the dining hall, though his progress was hampered by the crowd of much larger people around him. There was only one entrance to the hall, and it was currently clogged by exceptionally larger people like that mayor person and Donkey Kong. After a few false starts, Kirby decided that best way to go about this was up; so, taking a deep breath, Kirby flew over the heads of the larger people and into the dining hall. Once there, Kirby found himself in a paradise. The long table was covered with plates of delicious food! Cooing joyously, Kirby flew over to one end of the table and seated himself. Seeing the line of roasts, salads, and other edibles was too much to bear; Kirby opened his mouth…

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, Mei Ling, how much do you think Kirby can eat?

**Mei Ling: **Huh? I don't know, Snake…why do you ask?

**Snake: **He just keeps swallowing stuff… shouldn't he have a limit?

**Mai Ling: **Is that important to know?

**Snake: **It might give me an edge.

**Mei Ling: **Well, I'm not sure…but when Kirby stops eating, that's when he's reached his limit.

**Snake: **That's not helpful.


	29. Bio: Amaterasu

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Amaterasu

Bio: _Nippon's goddess of the sun, Amaterasu died in a battle against the Orochi. A century later, the seal preventing Orochi's revival was removed, and in order to defeat the evil it spread, the wood sprite Sakuya revived Amaterasu. Though weakened from death and a general decline in faith, Amaterasu went forth. Being a wolf, Amaterasu lets her companion Issun do most of the talking for her._

**Cranky: **That dog should fetch some decent gameplay…not that it's possible…

_Entrance:_ There is a puff of smoke (_Okami_-style) and Amaterasu appears, with Issun bouncing on her nose.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _A sheet of paper with a line on it appears, slashing at your opponent.

_Special+Up:_ Amaterasu will create two rings of fire from in front and behind.

_Special+Forward: _Amaterasu will unleash a big gust of wind.

_Special+Down:_ Amaterasu will switch the disc on her back to a sword, then from the sword to the necklace, changing the style of her normal attacks.

_Taunt: _Amaterasu will howl.

**Cranky: **I knw how you feel, kid.

_Final Smash:_ Amaterasu will create a giant blast of fire, ice and lightning as the appropriate Japanese characters appear on the screen.

_Costumes: _Normal color, then blue, then red, and then yellow.

_Win Pose:_ Amaterasu will sit up attentively.

_Stage:_ It's the village of Kamiki from _Okami_. As the fight goes on, the scene switches from day to night. In the day time you can see Sakuya, but as night falls, shadows of demons such as the Orochi and Ninetails can be seen in the distance.

_Theme: _'The Sun Rises' from _Okami_.

_Ending_;

Amaterasu ran across the land, flowers blooming in her wake. She came upon a river, but paid it no mind. One jump later and it was behind her. Soon she came upon a small canyon in the land, but that was no problem. A simple leap was all it took to cross it. All the while Amaterasu speed did not lessen, her stride did not falter.

Soon, she came upon a cliff. Far in the distance, but not quite out of sight, was a golden wolf.

Amaterasu howled. _"Oooooooh…._"

The golden wolf howled. "_Oooooooh…_"

Amaterasu. "_Ooo-oo-ooooh…_"

The gold wolf. "_Ooo-oo-ooooh…_"

Soon both wolves were howling, singing a strange, but beautiful only they understood.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Mei Ling: ***Gasp* Snake! Do you know who that is?

**Snake: **A dog someone forgot to leash?

**Mei Ling: **N-no! That's Amaterasu!

**Snake: **Bless you.

**Mei Ling: **No, you're fighting the Japanese goddess of the sun!

**Snake: **Bound to happen. We've got angels and demons in this thing, why not a god?

**Mei Ling: **But, Snake-!

**Snake: **They're immortal, aren't they?

**Mei Ling: **Well, yes, technically…

**Snake: **So what's the big deal?

**Mei Ling: **…


	30. Bio: Meta Knight

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Meta Knight

Bio: _A mysterious, masked swordsman from Dreamland. Meta Knight is often considered Kirby's rival, though no one knows why. A sportsman of a kind, Meta Knight will usually offer his opponent a sword to use before drawing his own blade, _Galaxia._ It is believed that under his mask, Meta Knight looks like Kirby._

**Cranky: **If he wasn't so darn short, he could actually be impressive-looking!

_Entrance:_ Meta Knight will have his back to the camera before turning around and drawing his sword.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Meta Knight will spin around like a small, bladed tornado.

_Special+Up:_ Meta Knight will loop up in the air before gliding back down.

_Special+Forward: _Meta Knight will drill forward.

_Special+Down:_ Meta Knight will swirl his cape, disappearing and reappearing in whatever direction chosen. If the attack button is held, he will slash in the direction opposite of transport. (If he went left, he will slash right.)

_Taunt: _Meta Knight will turn his cape into wings and spread them out.

_Final Smash:_ The screen will turn black. If Meta Knight is standing close enough to his opponent, they will be struck with so much force they go flying.

_Costumes: _First is his normal outfit. The second is a green coloring, and then white. And finally pink.

_Win Pose:_ Meta Knight's mask will fall off, and the Knight will jump off-screen, giving a split-second to see his Kirby face.

_Stage:_ The stage is the deck of Meta Knight's flagship, the _Halberd_. If the fight goes on long enough, the main cannon will fire, forcing fighters to dodge the blast.

_Theme:_ Revenge of the Meta Knight theme from _Kirby Superstar_.

_Ending_;

Meta Knight walked around, the hilt of his sword hanging loosely at his side. He could hear the noise of the festival from all around. And while he acknowledged that some celebration was in order, he felt out of place in the jubilee.

Spying a lone tree, Meta Knight decided that a nap was in order. Sitting at its base, Meta Knight slowly let his eyelids close.

Not long afterwards, Joe came by, a stick of cotton candy in hand. Spying the dozing warrior, Joe had an idea. A bad idea, but one that had been bothering him. Tip-toeing ever so quietly, Joe crept up to Meta Knight. Once he was close enough, Joe reached for his mask…

"Don't even think about it."

Joe leapt back in shock, falling over.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Colonel: **Facing Meta Knight, huh, Snake?

**Snake: **Yeah, guy kinda creeps me out.

**Colonel: **Did you know that the word 'meta' is Spanish for 'goal'?

**Snake: **What? Does that mean he's got a…secret goal, or something?

**Colonel: **Possibly. And in the _Kirby _anime series, Meta Knight's appearances are usually punctuated by a Spanish guitar solo.

**Snake: **Really… think you can something like that for me?

**Colonel: **Not a chance. There's no room in our budget.


	31. Bio: Dante

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Dante

Bio: _Son of the legendary demon knight Sparda and human woman Eva, Dante is ironically a demon-slayer himself, running his own slaying business, the Devil May Cry after demons killed his mother. Armed with his custom guns and swords, Dante's demonic blood gives him great strength and dexterity. Though he comes off as cocky, he can be quite compassionate and devoted to protecting humanity._

**Cranky: **Long hair, tragic backstory… Yup! This one was made for the girls!

_Entrance:_ Dante crashes a motorcycle onto the stage, then throws away the handlebars.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Dante thrusts his sword forward.

_Special+Up:_ Dante surrounds himself in a twister of fire.

_Special+Forward: _Dante charges, his body surrounded by purple energy as he plays Nevan.

_Special+Down:_ Dante slams the ground, surrounding himself with pillars of ice.

_Taunt: _Dante fires one of his guns in the air.

_Final Smash:_ Dante turns into his demon form, with flight and healing abilities. He's not invincible, but can regenerate health slowly in this form.

_Costumes: _His first coat is his normal red. The second is a blue coat. The third is a green coat. The fourth is a black coat.

_Win Pose:_ Dante holds his arms, as if asking, "What now?"

_Stage:_ The stage is like the opera theater where Dante and Angus fought in _Devil May Cry 4_. Spotlights follow where the characters are.

**Cranky: **There's no business like show business…and there'll be no business after these clowns are done!

_Theme:_ Dante's theme from _Marvel vs Capcom 3_.

_Ending_;

The space pirates were in a state of panic. Not for the first time, their base was slowly being destroyed, and its destroyer was getting closer and closer to the center. They could hear the explosions and feel the walls shake.

"What do we do?"

"Oh my god!"

"Is it her?"

"I'm too young!"

Then the doors blew open, and a red blur zipped in. Light reflected off of slashing blades, the sound of bullets being fired echoed off the walls, and space pirates fell by the dozen. Once there were no more moving bodies, their attacker holstered his firearms.

"Wow," Dante commented, and looked around. "Is that it?"

"Not…quite."

Dante looked to a part of the large room that was concealed with shadows. He could see a pair of glowing eyes.

"I was expecting…Samus, you know."

"And what makes you say I'm not Samus?" Dante challenged haughtily.

"Samus…is a girl."

"Oh."

Loud footsteps shook the room as Ridley, leader of the space pirates, stepped into the light.

Dante grinned. This was going to be fun!

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, who's this guy? A member of a boy band?

**Colonel: **That's Dante, Snake. He's a demon-slayer.

**Snaker: **Slayer, huh? What kind of gear is he packing?

**Colonel: **In terms of long-distance weaponry, he's equipped with custom handguns, called Ebony and Ivory.

**Snake: **I see. And what about short-distance weaponry?

**Colonel: **He has two swords, Rebellion and Force Edge. They're mementos from his father.

**Snake: **Guns and swords…this kid isn't playing around.

**Colonel: **When you hunt demons, you need all the edge you can get.


	32. Bio: Ness

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Ness

Bio: A young with boy from Eagleland. He set out from his hometown of Onnet to find the eight 'My Sanctuary" locations, as well as three other heroes. Ness possesses many psychic powers, some learned from his friends. Outside of psy, Ness also weilds slingshots, yoyos, and a baseball bat in battle.

**Cranky: **Kid's got the right idea…I'd like to take a bat to this game!

_Entrance:_ Ness appears in a sparkle of lights.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _"PK Flash!" Ness creates a ball of green fire that can be controlled. The longer it is charged, the more powerful the blast.

_Special+Up:_ "PK Thunder!" Ness shoots out a blue/purple lightning bolt out. Until it is stopped or dissipates it can be controlled, though Ness will remain motionless.

_Special+Forward: _"PK Fire!" Ness throws a small lightning bolt that if touched, causes the target to erupt in flames.

_Special+Down:_ Ness creates a forcefield that absorbs projectiles and heals him.

_Taunt: _Ness faces the player, puts his fists on his hips and nods. "Okay!"

_Final Smash:_ "_PK Starstorm!_" Ness causes giant comets to fall from the sky.

_Costumes: _First is his normal outfit, then a yellow one. Third is green and fourth is blue.

_Win Pose:_ Ness holds out his baseball bat as if he's declaring a home run.

_Stage:_ It's Onnet, as it was in _Super Smash Bros. Melee. _Occasionally the tour bus for the Runaway Five or taxis will drive by, but stop if there is a character in front. Once the character is no longer directly in front of them, they will move on. They can be used as platforms.

**Cranky: **Don't look so surprised- don'tcha know pedestrians have the right of way?

_Theme: _Onnet theme from _Super Smash Bros. Melee._

_Ending_;

Night had fallen. On a lone hill, Ness lay in the grass, staring up at the stars. The worlds had returned to normal (Or as normal as they could hope to be, which was all relative), and everyone was back where they were supposed to be. It was so hard to believe that everything that had just happened had actually happened. But there were signs…

"Ness! Hey, Ness!"

Ness looked over and saw his friends Paula and Jeff walking up to him. Ness smiled. After all of the strange people and bizarre creatures he had seen, it was nice to have some familiar figures within his vision.

"You've been out here for a while, now," Jeff commented, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I didn't know you liked to stargaze…"

Ness pointed up. Jeff and Paula followed his finger.

Up in the night sky, a group of stars had arranged themselves to spell out the word 'CAPCOM'.

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Hey, Mei Ling. Where'd Ness get those powers, anyway?

**Mei Ling: **I'm not sure, Snake. Why do you ask?

**Snake: **Just hard to believe little kid like him could command such crazy power…

**Mei Ling: **What's so hard to believe about it? I think a child being psychic is easier to understand than an adult. Children do have much more open minds…

**Snake: **I think an adult would have a stronger mind, actually.

**Mei Ling: **From what I've seen, that's debatable.


	33. Bio: Strider Hiryu

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Strider Hiryu

Bio: _One of the Striders, a mysterious organization that has worked behind the scenes throughout history. Hiryu is special in that he received the status of A-rank at a young age. As such, he is the best assassin in the organization._

**Cranky: **Unless I'm wrong, aren't ninjas supposed to…you know…blend in?

_Entrance:_ Hiryu drops down from above.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Hiryu summons a mechanical jaguar that runs across the stage.

_Special+Up:_ A pair of satellites orbit Hiryu and hurt an opponent if they get close enough.

**Cranky: **Hey, what's with all these crazy machines? Don't tell me ninjas have modernized? What happened to the ancient traditions?

_Special+Forward: _Hiryu dashes forward with such speed he can't be seen. Does no damage and can be done in the air.

_Special+Down:_ Hiryu teleports to behind his opponent and strike. The 'strike' part can be countered.

_Taunt: _Hiryu makes the stereotypical 'Ninja concentration' pose.

_Final Smash:_ If Hiryu is standing next to his opponent, Hiryu will split into multiple ninjas and slash away furiously for a few moments before returning to normal.

_Costumes: _His first costume is his normal purple uniform. The second is a black uniform. The third is a blue uniform. The fourth is a white uniform.

_Win Pose:_ A robot jaguar runs by, taking Hiryu with him.

_Stage:_ Resembles the first stage of _Strider_.

_Theme:_ Strider Hiryu theme from _Marvel vs Capcom 3_.

_Ending_;

Hiryu darted from shadow to shadow, running as quickly as he could to avoid being seen during his brief moments in the light. As he reached behind a pillar, he stopped- a pair of Koopa Troopas were walking by. They passed and were out of sight, the Strider continued on to his destination. Soon he reached it- a gigantic pair of red doors covered in spikes. Taking out a specific set of tool, Hiryu moved to pick the lock, only for the doors to open of their own violation.

Crawling in on the ceiling, Hiryu looked about the darkened chamber for his target. A loud rumbling noise told him it was in the center. Coming down by adjacent wall, Hiryu entered phase 2 of his mission. Taking out a glass of warm water, he set it by the bed. Then, carefully and cautiously, he gently took Bowser's claw and dipped it into the water.

Hiryu was just out of the room moments before Bowser woke up to find his shell surprisingly moist. His aggravated bellow shook the castle.

"Mission complete."

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Otacon, I'm fighting a ninja, help me out!

**Otacon: **A ninja, huh? They're known as the assassins of the shadows.

**Snake: **So he's used to working in darkness, huh? I need a way to shine some light on the subject…

**Otacon: **Hey, who do you think'll win, a pirate or a ninja?

**Snake: **I'm pretty sure that's not important.

**Otacon: **I mean, ninjas are pretty tricky, but you can't beat the toughness time at sea will give you.

**Snake:** I need to know how to beat this ninja!

**Otacon: **Then again, ninjas have brains to over brawn…

**Snake: **Otacon! I. Don't. Care!


	34. Bio: Solid Snake

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Solid Snake

Bio: _An infiltration specialist who's able to carry out missions under any condition. Having saved the world several times from bipedal, nuclear-armed machines called Metal Gear, Snake's skills have made him a legend. Once a member of FOXHOUND, he now works with the anti-Metal Gear group called Philantropy._

**Cranky: **What a grim character…are you sure he's supposed to be in this game? He doesn't fit in at all!

_Entrance:_ There's a cardboard box, which tips over to reveal Snake.

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Snake pulls out a grenade, and then throws it. The grenade can be picked up and thrown by anyone before it goes off.

_Special+Up:_ Snake takes out a flying reconnaissance camera and flies up with it. Though it will allow him controlled motion in the air, he cannot jump from it, only letting go.

_Special+Forward: _Snake fires a missile from his missile launcher. The missile can be steered.

_Special+Down:_ Snake sets down a C4. A second use of this command remotely sets the mine off.

_Taunt: _Snake uses his codec to contract someone. Who that is depends on who Snake is facing.

_Final Smash:_ "It's show time!" Snake jumps off screen and onto a ladder suspended from a helicopter. A crosshair appears and Snake fires a grenade from his grenade launcher. He can fire up to twelve grenades, or for 10 seconds, whichever comes first.

_Costumes: _First is his normal grey costume, then one colored red. The third is a green costume, and finally one like a cheetah skin.

_Win Pose:_ Snake quickly gets into his box disguise.

**Cranky: **Hey! I just learned that he's not from Nintendo _or _Capcom! What gives?

_Stage:_ Shadow Moses Island from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl._

_Theme:_ 'Encounter' from _Metal Gear Solid_

_Ending_;

Snake quickly ducked around a corner. So far his infiltration wasn't going as well as they normally do. Not only was the base full of monsters, but _most _of those monsters were nigh impossible to kill. This meant that a fight with one would not only become a figurative war of attrition, but would become loud enough to attract _other _monsters. And worse, one of those monsters was chasing him! Luckily, Snake managed to escape from its sight, and was ready to apply his favorite disguise.

Nemesis T-Type rounded a corner, hell-bent on doing some invasive, involuntary plastic surgery to the intruder. However, when he got there, there was nothing there but a box, sitting against the wall. This confused Nemesis T-Type. He was _certain _that human had passed through here…

Confused, Nemesis-T-Type sat on the box to think.

!

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **You know, I'm starting to get tired of all these duplicates.

**Mei Ling: **You know, Snake, you should consider this an opportunity.

**Snake: **An opportunity? For what?

**Mei Ling: **To discover your true self! While the clones aren't completely identical, they're a complete match in personality. They could help you figure out any character flaws you might have.

**Snake: **Flaws? What are you talking about? I don't have any flaws, I'm perfect.

**Mei Ling: **Oh, really? How about that ego of yours?


	35. Bio: SpiderMan

**Super Smash Bros vs Capcom Character Bio**

Spider-Man

Bio: _When high school nerd Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, he gained incredible abilities akin to a spider's, such as incredible strength, power to walk up walls, and mysterious early-warning feeling called Spidey-sense. After the death of his uncle taught him with great power comes great responsibility, Peter took up the moniker of Spider-Man, fighting crime whenever he could._

**Cranky: **This angsty kid's a super hero? Whatever happened to big muscle men with their underwear on the outside?

_Entrance:_ "Look out, here comes the Spider-Man!" Spider-Man

_Special Move List;_

_Special: _Spider-Man shoots a ball of webbing. This web-ball hinders the target if hit, but dissolves after a second.

_Special+Up:_ Spidey shoots up a line of webbing that pulls him up. He can even swing a bit from it.

_Special+Forward: _Spidey shoots a web-line that, if it connects, will let him swing and slam his opponent.

_Special+Down:_ Spidey creates a web-shield that not only blocks, but immobilizes opponents if they attack it without projectile attacks.

_Taunt: _Spidey waves his hands while a word balloon containing "YOU FIGHT LIKE A COW!" appears over him.

_Final Smash:_ Spidey grows an additional two pairs of arms. Not only does his attack power increase by three times, but his web projectiles fly in three different directions!

_Costumes: _The first is his normal red-blue costume. The second is the one Iron-Man gave him. The third is the one he wears as part of the 'Future Foundation'. The fourth is the one he had when bonded with the Venom Symbiote.

_Win Pose:_ Spidey sets up a camera hanging from a web strand, and then gives it a thumbs-up as it flashes.

_Stage:_ It's the rooftops of New York City. In the background, other characters from Marvel, such as the Silver Surfer, _X-Men_'s Storm, and Iron-Man fly by.

_Theme:_ Spider-Man theme from _Marvel vs Capcom_.

_Ending_;

Ryu stood on top of a hill, staring out at the bizarre landscape before him. At his side was Kirby. The two warriors exchanged worried looks.

**A MEETING OF WORLDS...LIKE NO OTHER.**

Pit flew on, remembering Plautena's words.

"_If the balance is not restored, there will be no stopping him…"_

**A GREAT THREAT.**

"Finally!" Bowser roared, "This is gonna be EXCELLENT!"

Wesker smiled, ever so slightly.

**HEROES MUST UNITE.**

"Name's Mario." the plumber greeted, holding out his hand.

"Chun-Li," Chun-Li replied, taking it.

**OTHERWISE…**

Link and Zero stared at each other. They gripped their respective swords.

**THIS.**

The water's surface exploded, as multiple giant tentacles lashed out.

Morrigan's eyes shined with anticipation. "Sounds fun."

**THIS HOLIDAY SEASON…**

the Falcon Flyer shook from the impact.

"What hit us!" MegaMan cried.

**THE ADVENTURE YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!**

"I WILL BECOME THE GOD OF EVERYTHING!"

Dante smirked at his companion. "You wanna take that lying down?"

Luigi frantically beat back the advancing claws. "Mario, _where are you?_"

Nemesis T-Type closed in on the plumber…and then his head exploded.

Everyone jumped out of the way as Donkey Kong's fists hammered down.

**Super Smash Bros. Vs Capcom**

Mario and MegaMan shook hands…then leapt forward.

"…Coming soon, to a game console near you…" Spider-Man slurred, slumped over a table.

Samus gave Joe a suspicious look. "So, what _did _you put in his milkshakes?"

_Solid Snake Codec_

**Snake: **Otacon, who's this guy in the jumpsuit?

**Otacon: **Omigosh, Snake, that's _Spider-Man!_

**Snake:** Spider-Man, huh…_Spider-Man, Spider-Man/Does whatever a spider can_

**Otacon: **_Spins a web, any size/catches thieves, just like flies_

**Snake & Otacon: **_Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man!_


	36. Adventure Mode: Level 1

**Super Smash Bros. vs Capcom**

Adventure Mode

_World-Rhapsody_

_Level 1: Sim City_

In a small, unobtrusive hole-in-the-wall bar and grill, Interpol officer Chun-Li sighed. Outside, something exploded and two separate voices, in two different but suspiciously understandable languages yelled words of blame, demands for compensation, and insulting allusions to each other's parentage. Then something exploded again.

Chun-Li sighed. She was beginning to get tired of it. Lately, it seemed like all she did was get mixed up in some interdimensional disaster. It wasn't so bad, sometimes, and she got to meet some very _interesting _people, but no matter where she went or who she met, it all ended up as one big fight. Though that wasn't so bad for _her,_ trained martial artist she was, she knew it must have been quite a chore for some of the other people who frequently got pulled into the crisis. Like that Phoenix Wright character from last time, poor guy looked scared half to death. Well, it seemed like he had avoided this bit of chaos, she hadn't seen him…

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen many familiar faces since the merge happened. She saw a few of Tron Bonne's Servbots wandering the streets , and knew for a fact that Joe was working as a waiter here, but beyond that she didn't know where any of 'the usual suspects' were. The streets were littered with various creatures and things from across the two universes. Whatever caused the melding of dimensions saw fit to include more than just a handful of skilled fighters.

She didn't even know who was responsible for the merger, come to think of it. From what little- and admittedly, confusing- info she got from the people of the other universe, it could be the work of a being called 'Master Hand'. Apparently he had mixed up the worlds of the other universe a few times before, and was possible responsible for this incident.

It was depressing in hindsight how used people were to having the structure of the cosmos tampered with.

While Chun-Li stewed on the latest episode of her 'time and space adventures', a new player entered the bar. After getting himself a drink, he noticed the Chinese woman sitting by herself, and bought a second drink. Walking over to her, the newcomer got Chun-Li's attention and offered her the second glass.

"No thanks, I don't drink with strangers." Chun-Li declined politely.

The newcomer stroked his mustache thoughtfully before saying, "It's-a me, Mario."

Chun-Li smiled and offered her hand. "Chun-Li."

Mario took it and the two began to enjoy each other's company. Mario was about to regal about one of his adventures when all of a sudden, a _new _adventure began. A television set hanging above the bar, originally for customers who wanted to watch boxing matches and soccer games, suddenly switched to Mr. Wright.

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for this important news bulletin!" Wright reported, "We've just received word that Princess Peach's Castle, located in Uptown Sim City, is being attacked by monstrous forces! Details at eleven."

"Oh no!" Mario cried, and leapt up from Chun-Li's table. He made his way to the door, literally bouncing from table to table in his haste. Chun-Li was quick to follow him, running around the table.

When the two got outside, they found the road leading Uptown obstructed by a pileup of cars and various monsters wandering around.

Mario glanced at Chun-Li and the two exchanged nods. Adjusting his cap, he muttered, "Here we go…"

_Stage 1 Sim City Main Street_

For Mario, the trip down Main Street was quite smooth. Master jumper he was, most of the advancing foes were easily avoided in a single bound, and those that weren't could be bounced off of. Some from the Mushroom Kingdom even turned into gold coins after a single hit.

"Yahoo!" Mario cried, bouncing along. He hit a line of Goombas in rapid succession and earned three coins as a result.

This was not the case for Chun-Li. Though she could jump as well as Mario could, maybe better, she lacked the acrobatic ability the plumber had. That meant jumping over enemies didn't go as smoothly for her as it did for him. Of course, being a street fighter and all, any foe what got in her way were quickly dealt with by means of her well-toned legs.

"Yah! Yah!" She yelled, her legs becoming a blur. One jerk tried to come at her from behind, only to get punched in the face.

About halfway down, some of the cars were freed from the pile-up and tried to resume their quest across the city. Unfortunately, the drivers weren't very careful, and didn't bother to slow down or correct their position. This meant that Mario and Chun-Li now, along with Shyguys and street punks, had to deal with speeding cars coming at them, whether they were on the sidewalk or in the other lane. Luckily, some cars were moving slow enough to jump over, even for Chun-Li. But then a large vehicle came speeding down the street, knocking other cars out of its way.

"Here comes a truck!" Chun-Li cried, and used a derelict taxi cab as a stepping stone. Landing on the trucks roof, she saw ran as fast as her legs could carry to the end, and leapt off. Upon landing, she realized that Mario didn't jump with her. Panicking, she looked back- only to find Mario had survived by _ducking under _the truck!

She shook her head. "Show off!"

While the two of them were busy with the truck, the enemies of Main Street were preparing for their counterattack. Getting together, they prepared to mob the pair of heroes in one massive parade.

Chun-Li shook her head, and took a stance. "At this rate, we'll never get to that castle!"

But Mario had other ideas. Adjusting his cap so that it was snug on his head, he jumped into the air. "Let's-a go!"

Using the heads of the rampaging enemies as stepping stones, Mario easily bounced over the stampede. Realizing that she had no choice, Chun-Li began to do the same thing. Due to her inexperience in the field, her path over the rush of foes was not as smooth as Mario's, but she was a fast learner. It wasn't long before she and Mario had made it to the end.

Chun-Li panted, and looked back, surveying the destruction that had been wrought. _I can't believe we made it through that disaster area… And it's only the beginning!_

A few yards ahead, Mario was up to something interesting. Hopping up a pile of cars, he jumped towards a flag pole, and pulled the flag down.

_Stage 1 Complete_

As Mario and Chun-Li went on their way towards Peach's castle, their travel was watched by a figure on the rooftops.

"Now where is _she _going…?" Dante wondered aloud, "And with _that _little mustache?"

Dante had heard a few rumors about Mario. He sounded like a pretty decent person…if a little tight-lipped. Still, if those two were on the move together, something must have been happening…

The half-demon wasn't so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the sound of footsteps, or the swish of a cape. Turning around, Dante saw a cloaked figure across on the other side of the roof. Only a pair of yellow eyes could be seen.

"Can I help you?" Dante asked haughtily.

A sword fell from the sky, sticking into the roof between them.

"Pick it up," The visitor said. It was not a request. "I do not want my victory tainted with an unequal opponent."

Dante smirked. "Thanks for your concern, but…" He unsheathed _Rebellion_. "I don't need handouts. I can make do on my own."

The challenger nodded. "That is good to know." Unveiling his cloak, Meta Knight unsheathed _Galaxia. _"Dante, head of Devil May Care! I have no qualm with you, but I must bring you down!"

Dante stared. "…Are you just a head with feet and arms?"

_Dante vs Meta Knight_

Meta Knight lunged at Dante, sword pulled back for a swing. Dante brought his sword up just in time and the two blades clashed together.

"Whoa!" Dante cried, almost thrown off-balance by the force of Meta Knight's attack. "Those little arms pack a punch!"

Rather than answering, Meta Knight jumped up to stab down, only to get blocked again by Dante. Nonplussed, Meta Knight kept zipping around and striking, only to be blocked again and again by Dante. The half-demon attempted to get a few hits in himself, but Meta Knight was as good as shielding as Dante was, and even better at dodging. Each attack that Meta Knight dodged gave the roly-poly warrior an opening to exploit.

When one such opening led to Dante getting a small slash at his side, the half-demon kicked Meta Knight back, hurting his foot on his mask.

"Aw, screw this!" Dante snarled, and brought out his two guns. Holding down the triggers, he unleashed a slavo of bullets at Meta Knight. Rather than trying to dodge, Meta Knight began to spin around rapidly, becoming a tiny dark-blue tornado. As he did, the bullets fired by Dante were deflected by his sword.

Realizing that he was only wasting bullets, Dante ceased fire. Running towards Meta Knight, Dante jumped up with _Rebellion_ pulled back and swung down on top of the knight. Unfortunately for Dante, Meta Knight had stopped spinning in place and jumped back away from the half-demon's blow. Just as Dante landed, Meta Knight shot forward, this time spinning like a torpedo. The attack struck Dante dead-on. Dante was knocked to the side, almost hitting the edge of the roof.

"Okay…no more Mr. Nice Guy…" Dante grunted as he stood up. Meta Knight lunged again for another attack, but Dante was more than ready. When the masked knight was near, a twister of fire surrounded Dante's body and shot up, catching Meta Knight. Dante grinned and released the tornado. Cocking his guns, he looked up…to see that Meta Knight was not up in the air where he was supposed to be. It was at that moment that Dante felt a sharp pain on his back. Just before darkness claimed him, he saw a bat wing out of the corner of his eye…

_End Battle_

Meta Knight folded his wings back into his cape. Hidden by the mask, he winced as the burned part of his body stung. He had forgotten that Dante was half-demon, probably the reason for that fire. Munching on a Maximum Tomato, Meta Knight pulled out a remote control with a single red button and pressed it. After a moment, he pointed the remote at Dante's unconscious form and pushed the button. A beam of white light shot out of the remote and struck Dante's body, making it glow for a second. Once the glow had subsided, Meta Knight hid the remote back in his cape. Turning around, he nodded at two human women in spandex that had arrived.

If anyone had noticed the battle on the rooftop, their attention was diverted by what happened next, which is precisely what happened to Ness. The young boy had seen the burst of fire from Dante's attack, but before he could enter the building the roof was on, an adult in a green suit stopped him.

"Sorry, but no kids allowed in there, sonny," Mike Haggar said, adjusting his tie. "Rated T for teens."

Ness realized that it was a night club he was about to walk into. He also realized that he recognized Haggar's face from the various posters and billboards put up all over Sim City. But before he could tell Haggar about what he had saw (And ask if he had saw it as well) _another _explosion occurred- this one at ground level, and from the building across the street.

"What the…" Haggar muttered when he saw some tiny figures run out from the other building's entrance. "Stay here, kid." He told Ness, and went over to the building.

The building had a sign over its entrance with the word "ELECTRONICS MADE EASY", and the 'tiny figures' running out from it were Servbots, each carrying a large box. The boxes had a gear and lightning bolt emblem on the side. It didn't take a genius to see what was going on.

Haggar pinched the bridge of his nose. "All right, I'm going to give you three seconds to prove this isn't what it looks like."

The Servbots stopped, and turned to Haggard. They gasped and dropped their stolen goods.

"Oh, no!" One Servbot cried, "It's the wrestler man!"

"Let's get out of here!" another cried.

The Servbots ran off. Seconds later they returned, picked up the boxes they dropped, and ran off again. Haggar just shook his head and went after them.

Watching this, Ness blinked.

_Stage 2 Beebop Ally_

Following the Servbots wasn't hard for Haggar. While the Servbots weren't in any way obstructed by the parcels they held over their heads, their legs were noticeably shorter than Haggard's. Even at half a step he could keep up with them.

The real problem was that it seemed like every punk, monster, and otherwise nuisance seemed determined to throw themselves at Haggar- some literally. It wasn't hard for Haggar to knock them away- It would be a very cold day in an otherwise hot place for a bunch of 'charm school rejects' (As he would later call them) to be much of a match for the mayor of Metro City. The problem was that the Servbots were able to weave their way through the crowds. This meant that in spite of Haggar's better speed, they were able to maintain a proper distance.

Eventually, though, Haggar was able to fight his way pass the mobs and track them down to a deserted part of the street.

"He's still following us!" The second Servbot squeaked.

"Where's the truck?" The first Servbot asked, "Haven't we found it, yet?"

"I knew we shouldn't have parked so far away…" A third Servbot murmured.

"I'll take care of this!"

Out from the shadows stepped…well, no single word could describe it. It looked like a big metal box on chicken legs. Sticking out from the left and right sides were missile launchers. In the top of the box was a Servbot working a pair of levers, covered by a metal dome. The entire thing was 2.5 times Haggar's total height.

"Okay! Good luck!" The first Servbot agreed, running off.

"Be careful…" the second murmured, following.

"Give it your all!" The third cheered, also following.

The fourth Servbot nodded, and shot Haggar a determined look. Haggard, for his part, was unimpressed.

"I don't care how big you are," He said, "I can piledrive you with the best of 'em!"

"Oh, yeah?" The Servbot retorted, "Then take this!"

The 'Serv-Walker' fired some missiles, which flew (In an looping pattern) at Haggard. The ex-wrestler looked around for something that could be used as a halfway decent shield, but found the street bare.

"Ohhh boy." He gulped, swallowing. He prepared himself for impact.

"_PK Thunder!_"

A pulsing bolt of blue and purple energy, with a shape reminiscent of a tadpole, flew through the air, striking each missile. The missiles exploded harmlessly in the air. Amazed, Haggar looked around for the source of the energy bolt. He saw Ness run up to his side.

"Did you do that?" Haggar asked, amazed.

Ness looked up at the adult and nodded.

Haggar a smile grow under his mustache. Jerking a thumb at the Serv-Walker, he asked, "Think you can keep that up against him?"

Ness nodded, then tightened his cap and turned to the Serv-Walker. Haggar did likewise, minus the cap-tightening. He instead picked up a pipe off the ground.

The battle began with Serv-Walker launching another slew of missiles. Haggar and Ness jumped in opposite directions. Once he had landed, Ness cried "_PK Flash!_" and emitted a ball of pulsing green fire. The fire flew towards the missiles and once close enough, exploded in a display of pyrotechnics that destroyed the missiles. Haggar, meanwhile, charged at the Serv-Walker. Once he was close enough, Haggar put the Serv-Walker into a lock that he quickly shifted into a backflip. Serv-Walker's glass dome made a satisfying bang as it hit the ground. Haggar's satisfaction was short-lived though as the Walker's legs spun about, knocked him away, and jumped back upright. Not unused to pain, Haggar easily recovered and prepared for his next attack. Before he could do so, Ness charged forward, his hands glittering with psychic power. Ness unleashed psy onto the Serv-Walker, causing it to shake from the force. In retaliation, the Walker attempted to stomp down on Ness. But while this was going on, Haggar snuck up and sent the Serv-Walker flying with a drop kick. After helping Ness up, Haggar made another charge at Serv-Walker, this time spinning with both arms out. Before he could make a hit, the Serv-Walker fired another missile, this time hitting him.

"Uhn!" Haggar groaned.

However, Ness was already preparing a counter attack. Running towards the Serv-Walker, he pulled out his bat and jumped. Once he was high enough, Ness slammed his bat against the right-missile launcher. The result was that launcher being knocked off of the Walker, exploding into pieces once it hit the ground. Ness quickly darted away, not wanting to suffer from the Serv-Walker's retaliation. Meanwhile, Haggar was already at the Serv-Walker's side, ready to deliver another powerful blow. Mike's punch knocked the Serv-Walker down, and then he stomped on its torso for good measure. He jumped away as Ness sent another PK Thunder at the Walker, hitting it with such force that it was knocked upright.

"All right, you asked for it!" Servbot piloting the Walker yelled, "Take my ultimate attack!"

The Serv-Walker began to spin around, sending slews of missiles flying about randomly. Both Haggar and Ness found themselves jumping around trying to dodge them, with mixed amounts of success.

"Argh!" Haggar cried, as he was grazed a third time. "We can't keep this up forever! We've gotta make a stand!"

Ness, knocked down by another missile, nodded. However, before either of them could take bold, decisive action, something very peculiar happened. The Serv-Walker stopped firing and slowed its spin. Eventually it came to a stop, and Haggar and Ness could see why; The Servbot steering it had spirals for eyes!

"Ooh, my tummy…" The Servbot moaned.

Seeing his chance, Haggar charged. Taking hold of the Serv-Walker, he jumped up into the air before slamming back, giving it a piledriver. Letting it go, Haggar walked off as the Walker began to self-destruct.

_Stage 2 Complete!_

BA-KOOM!

The Servbot went flying, charred from head to toe (Figuratively speaking) and landed on the sidewalk. After a moment, it got up.

"Ohhh…you guys are meanies!" It sobbed before running off.

"Hey, get back here!" Haggar cried, but the Servbot was quickly out of sight. "…Great. Now how are we gonna find out where the rest of 'em went?"

Ness was about to answer when a piece of paper, burned around the edges, fluttered down to him. Grabbing it, he saw that it was a map of the city. Several spots had been marked with an X, and one spot in particular had been marked with an O. Intrigued, Ness tugged at Haggar's pants and showed him the map. Haggar frowned thoughtfully…

**ELSEWHERE**

When Mario and Chun-Li got to Peach's castle, the place was a mob scene. Koopa creatures from the first _Super Mario Bros. _game were crawling all over the place. Walls had been wrecked. Windows were smashed. The front lawn was absolutely _ruined._

And dead center in the thick of it was Princess Peach, whacking Goombas and Spikies away with her parasol. Toad was at her side, looking fearful. Above them was a large airship, from which more monsters jumped out. Things did not look good.

Mario and Chun-Li quickly leapt into action- and into the fray. Mario bounced off of one Koopa Troopa, causing the Troopa to retract himself into his shell. Chun-Li followed up by giving the shell a hard kick, sending it flying. The shell proceeded to send anyone in its path, all Koopa creatures, out of the action, bouncing off walls and their heads. (Peach wisely ducked out of the way, pulling Toad with her)

Once a path was more or less cleared, the just-arrived heroes made their way to Peach's side.

"Mario! Thank you!" The princess cried happily, then turned looked at Chun-Li curiously. "And thank you…?"

"Chun-Li, of Interpol," the Chinese woman introduce, giving Peach a nod of her head. "Are you the only one here?"

"Yes, everyone else in the castle already escaped," Peach explained, "It's been just me and Toad."

"What do they want?" Chun-Li asked.

"I think they want to kidnap me," Peach answered, unsure. "But they're taking their time with it…"

"I saw two strange girls run into the castle!" Toad piped up, "I don't think they've come back out yet!"

Strange girls? That didn't sound good. Mario pointed to the castle doors and suggested that they go take a look.

_Stage 3 Princess Peach's Castle_

The insides of the castle were just as messed-up as the outside grounds. Ornaments had been knocked off of their shelves, paintings were tilted, and furniture had been flipped over. There were other Koopa creatures wandering around, though instead of causing more damage they were just hanging out.

Or keeping watch.

Hearing sounds of further ransacking further ahead, Mario and co. pushed onward, knocking aside any enemy that tried to inhibit them. Much to Chun-Li's surprise, though not unwanted, Peach was just as capable of beating away monsters as she or Mario was.

"It's easy when it's just one at a time," Peach explained as she slapped a Goomba, "I only get kidnapped when I get mobbed."

Their trek through the disrupted castle became more and more difficult, as they encountered fires and pitfalls. Chun-Li was worried about the structure of the castle holding up, but was assured by Mario that unless the castle was collapsing around them, it wouldn't be a problem. As long as they didn't cause much more damage, they would be fine. Jumping over the pits and fires, they continued onward, following the sound of further pillaging. Getting across the longer pitfalls was a touch tricky, but thanks to the placement of flying enemies, they were able to make it by using them as stepping stone. Chun-Li had some difficulty due to her inexperience in that regard, but managed with coaching from Mario and Peach.

"I keep telling you, I'm not used to this sort of thing!" The Interpol agent explained after almost falling to her doom once again.

Eventually, the trio (Or, quartet, counting Toad. But no one does) made their way to a closed door. Behind it were the sounds of ransacking clearly happening on the other side. Mario peeked through the keyhole and after a minute, turned back to the ladies and held up two fingers.

"There's two of them?" Chun-Li wondered, "Well, at least we have them outnumbered. We go in on one, two…"

Chun-Li put her foot against the door with enough force to not only knock it off its hinges, but also send it flying against the opposing wall. Directly between where the door landed were two young ladies. They looked quite similar to the women Meta Knight had met up with. One of them was holding a strange glowing sphere the size of a basket ball.

Chun-Li recognized them from Interpol reports. _Bison Dolls! Here?_

Peach, on the other hand, recognized the ball one of the Dolls was carrying. "They've got the _X_-Ball!"

Mario and Chun-Li looked at Peach. The Bison Dolls looked at each other. The Doll holding the _X_-Ball threw down a smaller ball that looked like it was made from spider webbings.

POOF!

As smoke filled the room, two extra sounds accompanied Mario and Chun-Li coughing. One was Peach going "Eek!" while the second was a loud crash. When the smoke cleared, Peach, Toad, and the Bison Dolls were missing. There was also a hole in the wall. It showed the front lawn of the castle, and on the grass below were the Bison Dolls. The Doll that had been empty-handed now had a burden of her own- _Peach!_

"Oh no!" Mario cried, and jumped through the hole in pursuit. Chun-Li followed him.

By the time the pair had managed to make their way down, the Bison Dolls had stopped running. Above them was now an airship flying Bowser's flag. A platform was being lowered by chains. Once it was low enough, the Bison Dolls hopped aboard and were hoisted back up.

"Hey, come back here!" Mario cried, and spotted a lone anchor hanging off to the side and raced towards it.

The sphere-holding Doll noticed this and too action. She whistled. A moment afterward a large figure leapt out from the airship. It landed between Mario and the anchor with a thud that shook the ground. Chun-Li, following after Mario, saw what it was.

"A Nemesis T-Type…!" She gasped, recognizing it from the last time the Capcom universe merged with another dimension.

Mario, having been knocked off his feet, looked up at the behemoth. The creature's gnarled head and mutilated face didn't worry him as much as the large bazooka it held, especially because it was now being aimed at him! The plumber gulped and tried to force his still-trembling legs into action. Nemesis T-Type closed in on the plumber…and then his head exploded. As the creature reared back in pain, roaring, Mario looked around to see what had happened. His eye caught sight of a man in some kind of combat fatigues, running towards him.

Chun-Li recognized the man. "Chris?"

She and Mario ran to meet with Chris Redfield.

"Sorry I'm late," Chris apologized, "What's the situation?"

Mario pointed at the airship, explaining that Peach had been kidnapped. Before he could elaborate, a guttural growl reminded the plumber of the thing that Chris saved him from. Nemesis T-Type stood, his gruesome head…completely unscratched (In a manner of speaking), save for some burn marks.

"It's unharmed?" Chun-Li asked, putting herself into a fighting stance.

The Nemesis glared at the trio, but his evil red eyes focused on Chris. "STARS…" He growled.

"Looks like he remembers me…" Chris muttered, doing a quick check on his weapons.

Mario saw something in Nemesis' bare hand. It looked like…a mushroom? It was black and had green stripes, but it was still a mushroom, very much like the kind he found on his adventures. What was Nemesis about to do with it?

The Nemesis T-Type messily devoured the mushroom. Once it had finished, its body began to sparkle, as if it inexplicably grew rhinestones on its skin. Then it started to grow.

A _lot._

In a matter of two minutes, Mario, Chun-Li, and Chris found themselves being looked down on by a Nemesis T-Type that happened to be four times their size.

_Boss Battle: Super Nemesis_

"And I though those things were big already…" Chris muttered, reaching for a gun. At the same time, Super Nemesis pulled back a fist.

"Get clear!" Chun-Li yelled, and all three heroes dove for cover as Super Nemesis swung. The gigantic fist impacted the ground, but luckily didn't hit any of them. As super Nemesis persisted in trying squash Mario, Chris fired several rounds from his rifle, but even though the bullets clearly hit the beast's arm, Super Nemesis gave no sign of discomfort.

"I can't even tell if they penetrated…" Chris muttered.

The Super Nemesis must have felt _something_, because it turned on Chris in moments, slapping him away. With its attention drawn to the agent, this gave Chun-Li the opening to unleash a barrage of kicks, followed by a ball of _ki. _The Nemesis grunted in annoyance, but showed no sign of slowing down in its assault. Mario, meanwhile, managed to jump up and deliver a sound punch under the jaw. Super Nemesis made a sound that was halfway between a growl and groan, but otherwise didn't react. The three of them continued to assault Super Nemesis, dodging its own attacks whenever they could.

As the three heroes regrouped, Chris asked, "Any ideas?"

"We can't just keep hitting it, and we have no way of restraining it," Chun-Li commented, "Does this thing have any weaknesses?"

"I thi- Look out!" Chris yelled, and all three of them scattered again. Super Nemesis had leapt into the air and came crashing down onto ground where they once stood.

Mario spied the bazooka Nemesis had been using and an idea came to him. Calling over Chris and Chun-Li, he quickly shared his plan.

"That…might work," Chris conceded, "I think I can use that bazooka...but you two are going to have to keep its attention."

Chun-Li nodded. "Let's do it."

As Mario and Chun-Li charged towards Super Nemesis, Chris darted off to the side, hoping to take the long towards the bazooka. Even though time was of the essence, he couldn't get too close to the gigantified BOW. If he did, it might ignore Mario and Chun-Li and focus on him. He noticed that the Nemesis seemed to have it in for him.

Meanwhile, Mario and Chun-Li continued their own offensive. While Chun-Li focused her kicks and ki onto the joints in Super Nemesis' legs, Mario did something…different. Nimbly using the folds in its jacket as handholds and stepping stones, Mario ascended Super Nemesis' body. Super Nemesis tried to shake or knock him off, but was constantly distracted by Chun-Li's assault on its legs. Its mind couldn't decide which to focus on- the Chinese woman kicking and blasting its legs, or the strange mustached man hopping all over its body. Soon, Mario was right up where the nose should be. Super Nemesis' eyes crossed in an attempt to glare at the plumber properly. Mario waved cheerfully, pulled his fist back, then threw a fireballs in its eyes. Super Nemesis unleashed a screeching bellow of pain, reeling back. This caused Mario to fall off, but Chun-Li managed to catch him.

"Nice shot." She complimented.

Mario smiled and flashed her a thumbs-up.

At this time, Chris had reached the bazooka and was now struggling to aim it. The firearm was heavier than he had expected, and lifting the thing was tricky. Luckily, it wasn't so bad that he couldn't do it.

"Okay…" He grunted, heaving the barrel upwards. "Almost got it…"

"Chris!"

Chris looked over to Chun-Li.

"The eyes!" She yelled, "Aim for the eyes!"

Chris nodded. Gripping the trigger with one hand and raising the barrel with the other, he pointed the bazooka at the recovering Super Nemesis. "I wonder why it's not using its tentacles…"

It was at that moment that a pair of massive black tendrils shot out of Super Nemesis' body and at Mario and Chun-Li. The two were narrowly able to avoid the initial strike, but the shockwave of the impact on the ground, knocked them back.

Chris suppressed a groan and resumed his preparation. Once he was done…

BOOM!

Chris found himself somewhat shaken from the recoil from the bazooka firing. He watched, however, as the shell that was blasted fly up and up at Super Nemesis' head. However, just as the shell was about two-thirds of the way there, it began to fall, followed by Chris' hopes.

"It's not going to reach!" Chris yelled, trying to think of a solution.

Chun-Li heard Chris, luckily, and saw what was going on. Thinking quickly, she jumped over another tendril from Super Nemesis and ran to where the shell was going to fall. More tendrils came at her, but Mario warded them off with some precision jump-stomping.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this…" Chun-Li muttered through gritted teeth, "I just hope I don't blow off my leg!"

Once she got where she needed to be, Chun-Li swung one of her legs upward in a kick that would make a football player in the Super Bowl weep in humility. The bottom of her boot struck the bazooka shell with such force that a loud CLANG rang throughout the air. The shell shot up, striking Super Nemesis straight between the eyes.

BA-KOOM!

Super Nemesis howled in pain, but when the smoke cleared no damage could be seen. Super Nemesis glared down at its opponents…then something very peculiar happened. There was a noise three sour notes being played on a trombone and Super Nemesis lost its sparkles. Then it began to shrink.

And shrink.

And shrink.

And shrink.

By the time it stopped shrinking, the Nemesis T-type was about the size of a thumb.

Which was squished into oblivion by Chris, running up to Mario and Chun-Li.

"Good job, guys," Chris said, and noticed that Chun-Li was limping. "What's wrong?"

"I just kicked an artillery shell," Chun-Li said, smiling in a way that wasn't smiling at all. "What do you think is wrong?"

"Yeah…dumb question," Chris admitted, and reached into his pocket. "I might have something to help with the pain, though…"

As Chris applied some first-aid to Chun-Li, Mario stared up at the sky. The airship had flown off during the fight, and now Mario had no way to tell where it went to. Looking down glumly, he spotted a piece of paper and a small parcel lying on the ground. Upon further inspection, the paper had a message written on it. It was from Bowser!

_Dear pesky plumber, _

_The _**EVIL ALLIANCE **_and I have taken over the _**NEW WORLD!**

_The Princess is now a PERMANENT guest in _**MY CASTLE!**

_I dare ya to find her if you can!_

_If you need instructions on how to save the Princess, check the enclosed instruction book!_

"What's that, Mario?" Chun-Li asked as she and Chris walked over. Mario passed her the note and began to open the package. It wasn't so much a book as it was a poster that had been folded into something resembling a book. Unfolding it revealed a map…if such could be called. In the bottom left corner was a small picture of a city, labeled SIM CITY, while a picture of a dark castle at the top right corner was labeled BOWSER'S CASTLE.

"This doesn't make sense," Chun-Li said, "Why would this Bowser tell us where to go to save Peach?"

"It could be a trap." Chris suggested, "What I'm more worried about is why a Nemesis was with those things."

"Think Wesker is involved?" Chun-Li asked.

"It's possible…"

Mario wasn't too worried about the note they had found. It was just like Bowser to gloat like that. The Koopa King was more like a schoolyard bully in some respects. He told Chun-Li that regardless of who else was involved, they had to save the princess!

_Level 1 End_

**A/N: **this is the story behind the crossover. All good games need a story, and this is it. I'm going to try and keep the players in-character as much as I can, but please don't hold it against me if I get some things wrong. I'm sorry it took so long for this to be put up. I had some difficulties trying to set everything up, and how to pair up the characters.

Incidentally, certain reviewers requested that certain characters be allowed into the fic. I'm sorry, but I've already decided who's going to appear in this. It's going to be murder already trying to fit in the thirty-four characters mentioned in chapter 1. However, I'm willing to strike a deal; If someone can draw an illustration from one of the character endings, or from a scene in the Adventure Mode, I'll be more than willing to write up a Bio for a character of their choice and E-mail it directly to them, PROVIDED that said character was a playable in a _Super Smash Bros. _or _Capcom Vs_ game. Sorry, but this is a crossover between those two series'. In any case, post your illustrations online and tell me where to find them. If it's good enough, I'll make a bio.

See you on Level 2!


	37. Adventure Mode: Level 2

Super Smash Bros. Vs Capcom

Adventure Mode

_Level 2: Skyline_

Pit sat on one of the thicker clouds above Sim City, doing something that was quite unlike him. He was brooding, brooding on the state of the world and his own current situation. While his Lady Palutena had sent him to find and defeat the force responsible for the merging universes, he had no idea where to go or who to go to. Even worse, his connection to Palutena had severed, meaning he couldn't even consult with her.

So now he rested in the sky, trying to gather his thoughts. He had seen the trouble in Sim City, and now had an inkling of what to do. Those strange robots that had robbed a store were using technology similar to the forces of the Subspace Emissary. Was it possible that Tabuu had been revived, somehow? Even more unsettling was Meta Knight's assault of the half-demon mercenary, Dante. Meta Knight had always been the sort of warrior who sought to challenge himself, but why would he capture his defeated foe? What was more, the people he gave Dante too were the same type of soldiers that accompanied the Koopa Troopas in their kidnapping of Princess Peach. Well, at least he could leave that last problem to Mario and his new allies.

His mind made up, Pit stood and prepared to take flight.

"_Pit."_

Pit's eyes widened. He knew that voice! Turning around, he beheld the glorious visage of Palutena herself!

But something was wrong. Palutena looked faint and fuzzy, like an image on a damaged television screen.

"_Pit, there is something you must do."_ She said, her voice slightly distorted.

Pit bowed, and asked, "Lady Palutena, what's wrong?"

Palutena exhaled. _"The energies binding the worlds together is limiting my power, I do not have long to talk. I have discovered the means to restoring the worlds. Pit, faithful warrior, you must seek out…these."_

Palutena held out her hand, and a ball appeared above it. It looked like a Smash Ball, but it was more white than blue. And instead of crossing near the bottom-right, the lines on the ball met closer to the middle and were tilted, resembling an X, but only very vaguely.

"What is that?" Pit asked, staring at it.

"_These balls are the key to restoring order_," Palutena explained, _"You must seek out all eight of them in order to put an end to the chaos."_

"Leave it to me!" Pit declared, pumping his fist. "I'll find those balls for you, my lady!"

Pit turned away from Palutena, and dashed for the edge of the cloud. Taking a grand leap, he began to jump from one solid cloud to the next, as if they were stepping stones on a pound.

"_I knew I could count on you…"_ Palutena whispered, smiling a bit _too_ broadly…

_Stage 1: Cloudbank_

Pit bounded across the clouds. It was tricky going, as there was no way to tell the difference between clouds that could support his weight and clouds that couldn't. Luckily, he had the Wings of Pegasus to help out if he made a wrong step, but their power faded soon after, forcing Pit to resume his legwork. At one point, flying koopa creatures appeared in his path. None of them looked very happy to see him.

"Hey, guys, just passing through," Pit greeted cheerfully, "Hey, I don't suppose you've seen an airship around here, have you?"

A Lakitu lifted up a spiny egg and pointed at Pit. "Get him!"

Pit tensed. "Is that a no?"

The flying enemies lunged at Pit _en masse_. Pit jumped above and onto a Paragoomba and fired a few arrows. The arrows struck a Koopa Paratroopa, a Parabeetle, and a thrown Spiny egg. Without missing a beat, Pit landed on the other side of the pack of baddies and readied his bow for another shot.

"Yea-heah!" Pit cheered, "Anyone else want a bite?"

The Lakitu wasn't impressed. Snapping his fingers, more Paragoombas and Paratroopas appeared in the air.

"…Oh," Pit said, slightly mollified. Taking a quick headcount, he said, "Well, I'm pretty sure I have enough for all of you…where were you guys hiding, anyway? Behind the clouds?"

"Surrender, angel boy," Lakitu ordered, "Or we'll take you by force!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Pit retorted.

A small voice in the back of his head (Lady Palutena?) reminded Pit that he shouldn't become preoccupied fighting. The voice also mentioned that an X-ball had been part of the swag stolen from Peach's castle by the people controlling the airship. With that in mind, Pit, Captain of Skyworld's army, enacted the most ancient and popular of military strategies; he turned around and bolted.

There was a brief pause as Lakitu's eye's told his brain what had happened. Then Lakitu shouted, "Hey! Get back here!"

Pit zigged and zagged across the clouds, fighting off enemies wherever he could. At one point he almost stepped right off a cloud- but managed to hop back on thanks to a Paratroopa underneath acting as a stepping stone.

"When I told everyone I wanted to be popular, this isn't what I meant!" Pit gasped, bouncing across a large gap by using smaller clouds as stepping stones.

"Who are you talking to?" A Paragoomba asked, flying aside him.

"There was a lot of dialogue in my last adventure," Pit explained, "I'm used to there being a lot of talking when I'm in action."

"Seems like a cheesy distraction from an otherwise forgettable play style." The Paragoomba commented, before lunging at Pit. Pit responded by hitting him with his bow.

Pit continued on, reminded of his first epic journey. The clouds felt strange to him as he stepped on them, soft, yet firm. Like mattresses. Then he stepped onto something that felt _solid_. Pit realized he wasn't on a cloud, but on a platform in the sky!

"Hey, I wonder what's keeping this thing aloft…" Pit wondered aloud.

It was at that moment that the platform began to sink. Panicking, Pit jumped to another platform floating ahead, only for _that _to buckle under his weight as well! What followed was a mad dash across a obtuse bridge of sinking blocks in the sky. This wouldn't have been much fun for the attacking monsters to watch, except Pit kept flailing his arms about like a giddy school girl who was having a spasm. Pit calmed down once he reached a cloud bank that _wasn't _going to fall out from under his feet. Remembering what he had been fleeing from originally, the angel captain turned about and let loose from his magic bow. After felling his pursuers, Pit rested against an archway that was there for no reason.

_Stage 1 complete_

"Not bad for the step in my epic quest…" Pit muttered, and began to look around. "Now, where's that airship?"

The sound of cannonfire got Pit's attention. Looking around, then down, he saw the airship 34 degrees down in a southward direction. There, he saw the airship, it's cannons firing from all ports. Something was flying around it, shooting thin beams of green energy (Pit wasn't sure, it was pretty far away) at the airship.

"No way…" Pit gasped, his eyes widening. "Is that an arwing!?"

**INSIDE THE AIRSHIP**

M. Bison, head of Shadowloo, was quite impressed. Holding the orb before him, he stared into it, smiling evilly. He felt power emanating from it, and as he looked into the reflection his face cast onto its surface, he felt a small trace of that power flow into him.

"Very good, ladies," He said to his two Bison Dolls. Tearing himself away from his own image, twisted and discolored, he placed a treasure chest on the floor next to him. "This brings our total up to three. Only five more to go."

"We have also captured Dante of Devil May Care and Princess Peach," One Bison Doll reported, saluting. "The latter is being held in the brig. The former has already been sent to Wesker's facility."

"Good, good," Bison said, pleased. While he had never met Dante personally, he had heard about him from Wesker. He would be a useful tool once he was properly…molded. "Do the rest of the monsters know about the ball?"

"No, sir. As per your orders, we've kept our capture of it secret." The other Bison Doll answered.

Just then, the door to Bison's cabin burst open and a Goomba waddled in frantically. "Hey, we got problems!"

Bison looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"We're taking a lot of hits from that Arwing!" the Goomba yelled, panting, "And now there's this blue kid shooting up the joint!"

"Blue kid?" Bison repeated, he's interest piqued.

**UP ON THE DECK**

MegaMan fired his Mega Buster repeatedly, sending the attacking Koopa creatures flying. He was lucky that the teleporter was able to send him onto a moving object, and even luckier that the enemy had such primitive defenses. However, what the enemy lacked in quality, it made up for in quantity. There seemed to be a never-ending supply of strange, fanged mushrooms with feet, wind-up toy bombs, and big moles that threw wrenches. That strange air fighter helped, thankfully, keeping the airship's cannons distracted.

"Maybe I should just gun it…" MegaMan wondered, charging up his Mega Buster.

_Stage 2: Airship Deck_

MegaMan fired another charged shot, causing a Bob-Omb to explode. As the blast shook the deck, the Blue Bomber ran forward. Unfortunately, that Bob-Omb was at the start of a line of Bob-Ombs, causing a chain-reaction of explosions. Realizing that he was seconds away from being scrap, MegaMan jumped up onto a floating platform, just barely avoiding a rerun of his fight against Bombman.

"That was close…" MegaMan commented. He moved ahead and dropped back down onto the deck's main floor, which looked surprisingly undamaged. He wondered what kind of wood was used in its construction. He got to a point where there was a large gap in the floor. It didn't lead to the inside of the ship- it was if whoever had built the ship had just decided there should be a few cube feet of air between sections of the ship. Looking ahead, MegaMan saw that next few yards of the ship's deck consisted of floating platforms. A bit confused, he began to hop across, occasionally dodging Bullet Bills. After getting past the floating platforms, MegaMan found himself back on the normal deck. He moved on, and noticed that his path was going down- the deck's path seemed to go into the ship without accessing the interior. However, after the bit with the platforms, MegaMan wasn't that disturbed by this new turn. He was, however, quite disturbed by the _giant spikes coming out of the walls and floor!_

"WHO DESIGNED THIS SHIP!?" MegaMan screamed as he ducked and dodged the spikes.

After the initial surprise, it became easier to predict where the giant spikes would come out from. After coming back onto the top-deck, MegaMan continued on. This next part of his path was riddled with cannons and Bullet Bill blasters. Oddly enough, none of said armaments seemed to be intentionally pointed at him. However, that just made navigating the section even harder, as MegaMan now had to contend with a changing maze of cannonballs and giant, snarling bullets. His Mega Buster allowed him to blast as many rounds as he could, but MegaMan didn't have time to properly charge it.

"Ah! Erg! Oh!" MegaMan grunted as the occasional mortar struck. To make matters worse, this area seemed to consist solely of floating platforms as well, only unlike the previous section, the platforms moved about in a quick, but rigid pattern. Even with the threat of the cannons, MegaMan was able to make his way across.

Once through the cannon obstacle, he realized that he was now at the opposite end of the ship, where the cabins were. Annoyingly, he found that there was no door to the inside. He looked about. At the top of the cabin section seemed to be a large green pipe, perhaps a haphazard chimney. With lack of anywhere else to go, MegaMan began to jump up towards it. Once he got up to the top, he found a flag pole. Staring up at the flag, MegaMan absentmindedly tugged at the rope, bringing the flag down.

_Stage 2 complete_

With an inexplicable sense of fulfillment, MegaMan dropped into the pipe. The minute he was gone, a wall down below on the deck opened up, and out came M. Bison. Under his arm was the chest. He looked around, but could see no one who matched the description of 'blue boy'. Nonetheless, the scorch and blast marks suggested a high chance that the one-man invasion was headed by MegaMan. Spotting the one-man fighting flying around the ship, Bison placed the chest down and opened it up.

"Might as well see how accurate our intel was…" He murmured, taking out the orb.

**MEANWHILE**

Pit struggled and strained as he climbed up the anchor chain. His attempt to jump onto the airship had not gone well. Not only did he misjudge the distance, but some high winds kicking up threw him off balance. Luckily, he was able to use his wings to flap closer and latch onto a loose anchor hanging from the airship. And just as he was reaching the deck, he saw a MASSIVE beam of purple light shoot out! It clipped the wings of the Arwing, causing it to go down.

"Holy cow!" Pit gasped, pulling himself up.

**AT THAT TIME**

Bison, clutching the orb in one hand, shuddered in amazement. He felt power rippling off of his body. It was like nothing he had ever felt before! Any watching would see that the head of Shadowloo seemed to be giving off a multi-colored glow.

"And that was with just one…" He murmured, staring at his hands. "What kind of power comes with all eight…?"

"Holy cow!"

Bison turned around. Much to his shock, there seemed to be a young boy climbing up onto the deck! This boy dressed like something out of Greek mythology- or someone's idea of Greek mythology. In his hands was a golden bow. And most noticeable of all was the pair _white wings _on his back.

Pit realized that his exclamation had been heard, and had the decency to look chagrined. "Uh, oops?"

"And just who are you, boy?" Bison asked, amused. "And what are you doing on my ship?"

Pit was about to come up with a pathetic excuse when he saw the orb in Bison's grip. His awkwardness vanished, and the angel stood up and pointed dramatically.

"You! Uh…" He faltered for a bit before recovering, "Military-guy! I am Pit, servant of the goddess Palutena! What you are holding is very important for the well-being of the world! And I have been tasked with retrieving it!"

Bison smirked evilly. Then, he put the orb back into the chest, securely locking it. "If you want me to give you this lovely ball of power, you'll need much more than a finely-improvised litany."

"Really?" Pit asked, cocking his head in confusion. "What else would I need?"

Bison's evil smile widened. Then he thrust out his palm, shooting a fist-sized bullet of Psycho Power out at Pit. The angel dove forward onto the deck, narrowly avoiding the explosion that took out a piece of the structure he had been standing on.

"Gah! That was close!" Pit gasped, standing and staring at the destruction. "Good thing I'm so good at falling…"

M. Bison jumped down on the deck and took a fighting stance. "Why don't you show me if you can back up those bold words, righteous servant! It would be a shame if you were all talk."

Pit turned back to Bison and became very aware of the difference in size between them. He suddenly felt like that guy who had to fight a giant…

_Pit vs M. Bison_

Pit took aim and unleashed a slew of light arrows at Bison. They hit, but seemed to do little damage against the larger man. Bison charged forward, a fist raised and brimming with Psycho Power. Pit jumped up and over Bison just in time to avoid being crushed by the blow, but as he landed received a heavy kick to the back. Pit went tumbling, but managed to recover. Splitting his bow into dual blades, Pit ran towards Bison, spinning them like a buzz saw. Bison jumped directly upward to avoid, then came crashing down in a heavy stomp. Pit just barely avoided the stamping attack, but gulped when he saw the imprint Bison's boots left in the deck.

"That guy's a monster!" Pit realized, "Maybe I should keep my distance…"

Pit put his bow back together and began to fire more light arrows. Rather than letting them hit as before, Bison moved to dodge them. As he did, he shuffled forward. He then an elaborate somersault, smashing Pit's head in with his feet.

"Agh!" Pit gasped, hitting the deck. Bison stood over the angel, a look of vile amusement on his face.

"Looks like your body's as fragil as a bird's, boy," the Shadowloo leader noted, "Which would explain your wings."

"I'll show you wings!" Pit yelled, and activated the Wings of Pegasus. The captain of Palutena's guard shot into the air, far out of Bison's reach. Flying around, Pit fired more shots from his bow. Some struck, and some didn't. Bison was also moving to put Pit into striking range, but the angel was flying too swiftly to be caught by punches and kicks.

But Pit knew that it wouldn't last. The Wings' power would run out soon, so he either had to finish the fight or land some distance from Bison. Landing, he fired a few more shots from behind then charged. Splitting his bow into dual blades again, he prepared a strike.

"I hope I get there in time…" Pit muttered. He hoped to land a decisive blow while Bison was still reacting to the shots.

But Bison wasn't someone who would let his back be taken so easily. When Pit was close enough, Bison's entire body began to glow with Psycho Power and he unleashed a massive wave of energy from all directions.

VOOM!

"Aagh!" Pit cried, caught off guard by the blast. The Psycho Power struck him dead on, sending the angel flying back. Pit hit the edge of the broken wall and fell down.

_End Battle_

Bison looked down at the angel as he struggled to get back up. He was impressed by the winged boy's tenacity. As Pit tried to brace himself with his bow, a piece of the deck gave away, sending him down. Bison quickly moved towards him when he realized what was happening, but it was too late. Pit had fallen off of the airship. Bison looked down but could see no sign of the angel through the clouds they were flying in.

"That's unfortunate," Bison grumbled, "I would have liked to ask more of this 'goddess' he mentioned. No matter." A small, muffled explosion was heard from within the airship. "I better see to the _other _stowaway…"

**INSIDE THE AIRSHIP**

Peach sadly paced around the small room she had been put into. Out of all the times she had been kidnapped, this was…not so bad. There may have been no furniture or windows, but it beat a cage she had been stuck in once. At least she had her privacy. Toad stood at the door, listening.

"I think I hear someone coming!" The little mushroom man announced.

Peach stopped pacing and looked towards the door. She heard footsteps too, along with some kind of soft thuds that were getting louder…

"Toad, get away from there!" Peach cried.

Toad jumped from the door just as it came crashing down. In the dust and smoke, Peach saw the silhouette of a humanoid figure with a trail of smoke coming from one arm.

"Samus?" Peach asked, raising an eye.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed that instead of Samus Aran, intergalactic bounty hunter, it was in fact a young boy in blue armor.

"You're not Samus…" Peach murmured.

"Aren't you a bit short to have an arm-cannon?" Toad asked.

"What?" MegaMan blinked, "No, my name is MegaMan, I'm here to rescue you."

"You are?" Peach clapped her hands together gracefully. "Well, thank you!"

"You're welcome," MegaMan replied when he heard a some heavy footsteps from afar. "Let's go, we have to get out of here before Bison finds us."

"Bison?" Peach asked.

With MegaMan leading, the two of them and Toad left the holding room.

_Stage 3: Airship Interior_

MegaMan, believing that the path he took down to Peach's room was no longer safe, tried to find an alternative route to the outside. Unfortunately, no matter which way they went more of the strange monsters (Which Peach could freely identify) blocked their path. Luckily, it was easier fighting past them now, as Peach proved to be no slouch in the fighting department. In fact, she was good enough that it was a wonder she got kidnapped as much as she did.

When asked, Peach answered, "Well, if I don't let them kidnap me, they hurt everyone and wreck everything. And not being kidnapped is a lot harder than you think. If you struggle the wrong way you might pull a muscle."

Peach was saying this as she stomped a Koopa Troopa then kicked its shell down the hall. The shell knocked away approaching monsters as it bounced off of the walls. MegaMan was suitably impressed.

At one point the two (And Toad) came to a large empty space full of floating platforms, spikes, and bars of fire moving about. There seemed to be no floor beneath them. MegaMan and Peach had to time their jumps to avoid an unpleasant end.

"Who designed this ship, anyway?" MegaMan asked, "There's no way any sort of crew could work here. It's not safe."

"Bowser has never really cared about the welfare of his troopas," Peach explained, "He's more concerned with keeping anyone from breaking in or out."

"Piranha Plant!" Toad yelped suddenly, "Piranha Plant!"

Sure enough, there was a plant that seemed to be all mouth, with sharp fangs and a swollen tongue sticking out poking its head out from a pipe in the wall. MegaMan blasted it with his Buster Gun.

After passing down that corridor, the group came upon a large empty room. As they crept in cautiously, the doors suddenly slammed shut. A large turtle with huge swinging arms jumped down from the ceiling. Boom Boom began to jump around, forcing Peach and MegaMan to separate as they dodged his assault. MegaMan fired several rounds from his Buster Gun, causing Boom Boom to go "Ouch!" as they struck his fists. However, Boom Boom didn't slow his attack.

Peach, meanwhile, was going for a different tactic. Standing cautiously in the corner, she waited until Boom Boom had landed before jumping up into the air. Her timing was spot-on. She was right above Boom Boom when the koopa leapt into the air again, and as a result he collided with her high heels. Boom Boom fell, allowing MegaMan to fire more shots at him. With Boom Boom momentarily stunned, MegaMan and Peach took the chance to lay a beat-down on him. After taking several more hits, Boom Boom vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving only a pile of gold coins behind. As Peach scooped the precious disks into her dress pocket (Yes, her dress has pockets. A princess who always gets kidnapped has to dress practically) the room's exit opened up. Going into it, MegaMan and Peach found themselves in a hallway pocketed with pitfalls. Jumping across the pits with ease, MegaMan came across a large pipe going up through the ceiling.

"What's this for?" the Blue Bomber wondered, and saw that the pipe had an access tube on the side. "Could it be…?"

"What is it, MegaMan?" Peach asked, walking up behind him, then noticed the pipe. "Oh! You found a warp pipe!"

"I think we can use this to get out," MegaMan explained, "It sounds like it goes all the way out to the deck."

"then what are we waiting for?" Toad asked, and dove into the pipe.

Peach and MegaMan watched as a slight bulge in the pipe appeared and traveled up into the ceiling.

"Shall we?" Peach asked.

One trip through the tubes later, and the group was back on the deck. There, MegaMan noticed a tall flag pole.

"Wait a minute, this wasn't here last time…" MegaMan noted, absent-mindedly tugged the rope. A flag with a bright blue M went up.

_Stage Complete_

Peach and Toad looked over the edge of the airship. Down below were an endless sea of clouds, with the land beneath it a vague blur.

"That's a looong way down." Toad noted.

"How are we going to get off of the ship…?" Peach mused.

MegaMan was already on the case. "Rush!" He called out. A moment later, a beam of light shot down and became Rush, MegaMan's robot dog.

"Arf! Arf!" Rush barked.

"Oh, what an adorable dog," Peach gushed, and began to scratch behind Rush's ears. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?"

"This is Rush," MegaMan explained, "He'll be our ticket out of here."

Looking up from Rush, Peach asked, "How exactly can he help?"

MegaMan nodded. "Rush, enter Jet mode!"

"Arf!" Rush barked, his eyes sparkling.

In an incredibly stylized and overly drawn-out transformation sequence, Rush's body structure went from canine to something resembling a rocket-sled…with Rush's head.

"Good boy, Rush!" MegaMan congratulated, and stepped on. Holding his hand out, he said to Peach, "Let's go!"

On robot-dog-turned-flying-device, the group flew as far away from the airship. From his place on the deck, Bison watched them go. Behind him, he heard his Bison Dolls approach.

"Lord Bison, we regret to report…" One began, but Bison cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"I can see that for myself," He said, "Oh well. It's not as if we lost anything important. We have the orb, and that's all we needed from this. Taking that woman was only a favor to that big turtle."

"But sir," The other Bison Doll said, "The Princess seems to have information on the orb we took. Is it really all right for her to go?"

Slowly, Bison turned his head towards the Dolls, his eyes glowing with Psycho Power. "And just _why am I learning this now?_"

Both Dolls wanted to explain that they unable to make a complete report due to the multiple attacks on the airship, but were too scared to even move. Bison had that effect on his minions.

"Well, it doesn't matter, anyway," Bison said, looking back at the horizon MegaMan and Peach were disappearing into. "Those two are flying over a dumping ground for Wesker's…less successful ventures. The problem will solve itself."

**WITH MEGAMAN AND PEACH**

On Rush, MegaMan and Peach flew across the sky, entering a patch of wild blue yonder that was particularly full of clouds. They couldn't even see the world below them.

"So, who exactly sent you to save me?" Peach asked, "Was it someone I know?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest," MegaMan admitted, "Maybe when we get back to Dr. Light's lab you can…"

That was as far as MegaMan got when the clouds beneath them suddenly exploded upwards. The group was knocked out of the air and landed on the clouds. Thankfully, the clouds they were on were from the Mushroom Kingdom, and therefore strong enough to support their weight.

"Ar- Arf…" Rush barked pitifully, re-entering his original form. His body sparked here and there, indicating damaged parts.

"What happened?" MegaMan cried, inspecting his dog. "What hit us?!"

Toad pointed fearfully. "I-I-I-I think it was _that!_"

Both MegaMan and Peach looked to where Toad was pointing. _That _turned out to be a giant vulture's head sticking out of the clouds, its long neck went down into the clouds that hid the rest of its body! It had numerous, purple veins pulsing all over what parts of its body that was visible, and both eyes were a different color; one red, the other blue. Its beak was bent slightly, and there seemed to be saw-like teeth inside of it.

_Boss Battle: Master Necky X Mk II Golden version 7.0_

Master Necky reared its horrible head back and then coughed- and from its cough came a mighty black fireball the size of a beachball! MegaMan and Peach jumped aside to avoid being burnt by it, but Necky persisted, coughing more fireballs. MegaMan retaliated by firing his Mega Buster at Necky, but all that seemed to do was infuriate it.

"I wish I knew if this was working!" MegaMan groaned.

"Here, let me try!" Peach offered, and bent down. Pulling out a turnip, she chucked the vegetable at Necky, just as it spat another fireball. When the turnip and fireball connected, what should have happened was that the turnip would be incinerated. What _did _happen was that the fireball was extinguished and in its place was what looked like a giant seed that landed pitifully on the cloud. The heroes stared at it in stunned shock as Necky reared back to unleash another onslaught.

"Quick!" MegaMan yelled, pointing. "That's when it's vulnerable!"

MegaMan began to charge his Mega Buster, running towards Necky. Peach also began to move forward, but for a different reason. Taking hold of the giant, scorched seed, she began to lift it up. With great effort, she _threw _the seed at Necky. At the same time MegaMan unleashed the energy of his fully-charged Mega Buster. The two projectiles impacted upon Necky at the same time, hitting it square in the eyes.

Necky writhed in both pain and fury at this, and sank its head under the cloud layer.

"Quick!" Toad yelled, "Let's get while the getting's good!"

Before anyone could do just that, Necky popped its head up on the opposite side of the cloud and began to spit flaming seeds. In panic, Peach held up Toad to intercept one seed. He did so, turning it back at Necky, but he got third-degree burns in the process.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Toad cried, blowing on his hands.

"Sorry, Toad!" Peach apologized.

MegaMan, meanwhile, unleashed more shots at Necky. He soon began to wonder if using his Mega Buster would resolve the battle fast enough, and began to move towards Necky. Peach began to do the same thing, having come to the same conclusion. Ducking and weaving between the fiery shots, the two began to hit Necky's neck, Peach using her parasol as a club. MegaMan on the other hand unleashed a devastating combo of punches and kicks- devastating to a human or robot, of course. Both attacks seemed to bounce off of Necky's rubbery hide. However, Necky reacted to the assault with angry screeches, and ducked underneath the clouds again.

"Now what?" MegaMan asked to the world.

The answer came when Necky began to pop up, beak-first, out of the clouds at multiple times, each in a different place. MegaMan and Peach were forced to jump around for their lives to avoid being caught in Necky's mouth. At one point Peach bounced _off _of the tip of Necky's beak and took out her parasol, floating daintily in the air out of reach. When Necky pecked up through the clouds again, she hit the side of his beak with her rear. Necky shuddered from the impact a bit, stunned. MegaMan took seized the moment to materialized a Mega-ball and kicked it at the dazed Necky. Necky retreated back underneath the clouds, its eyes spinning.

"Funny how the holes that bird make just fill in by themselves, huh?" Toad remarked.

Necky popped out one end of the cloud, both of his eyes turned purple. It then started spitting seeds at an alarmingly rapid speed. MegaMan found himself shooting against the barrage for cover, while Princess Peach retreated under the safety of her parasol. After a few minutes of this, Necky calmed down, panting with exhaustion.

"Now!" MegaMan declared, "While it's defenseless!"

"But what are we going to do?" Toad asked, "Nothing's worked on that thing so far!"

Peach saw one of the seeds lying a little bit ahead of her and an idea came to her. Running towards it, she picked the seed up and headed towards Necky. MegaMan, meanwhile, had a similar idea. He ran directly towards Necky, charging his Mega Buster. Once it was fully-charged, he fired a shot from it. The blast of energy didn't impact on Necky. Instead, it went _into_ Necky's mouth! Necky's eyes bulged from the taste, and then narrowed angrily at the robot. The bird's head reared back, preparing to hock the mother of all loogies, when Peach took the moment to throw the seed she found into Necky's mouth. This second foreign substance was too much for the bird, and Necky's eyes began to spin. It's head slowly and dizzily sank under the clouds.

Peach dusted her dress off in a dainty manner. "Well, that could have gone worse."

"What surprises me how the cloud's still holding us up after all that," MegaMan noted, "I was worried that the bird would peck it to pieces."

"Well, let's get outta here before the laws of physics enforce themselves," Toad declared, and pointed at Rush. "Rockets away, robo-hound!"

Rush saluted, and began to change into Jet mode. However, halfway through his body began to spark, and Rush went back into dog-form. The canine machine whimpered sadly. MegaMan went over for a quick inspection.

"I think that creature damaged Rush," The blue bomber told Peach and Toad, "He won't able to enter his jet configuration until repairs are made."

"Well, why don't we fix him?" Peach suggested helpfully.

"I don't have that kind of capability," MegaMan admitted, "We'll have to go to Dr. Light."

"Then that's where we should go next," Peach decided, "Now, how are we going to get down from here…"

_Level 2 end_

A/N: Another chapter done. And good grief, I know it's been a while. A long, too long while. I don't have much to say but I WILL get this finished…just as long as I get reviews that keep me motivated.


	38. Adventure Mode: Level 3

Super Smash Bros Vs Capcom

Adventure Mode

_Level 3: Green Acres_

Since the battle at Peach's Castle, Mario, Chun-Li, and Chris Redfield had run non-stop, following the airship as best as they could. Luckily, the large vessel was not in a fierce hurry to leave the scene of the crime. The trio of heroes was able to keep up, though not without some difficulties. However, the idea of constant legwork was easier conceived than performed, and by time they left the borders of Sim City, their muscles were starting to strain. Chun-Li especially, in spite of her long, Amazonian legs.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked, looking behind. The Chinese Interpol agent was lagging behind.

"I'm not…used…to this much…running…" Chun-Li said between breaths. She took a moment to shake her leg, feeling a joint lock up. "But I'm okay!"

Chris looked forward, and saw that Mario ahead had stopped running. Instead, the plump plumber was following something with his gaze. Chris looked as well, and saw what had caught Mario's eye; something was plummeting down. And judging from the trail of smoke, it was falling from the airship.

All three watched as the thing crashed in the far distance. Mario looked back at his companions with questioning eyes; do they keep up chasing the airship, or investigate the fallen thing? Chun-Li and Chris exchanged looks.

"If we investigate, we might lose track of the airship." Chris pointed out.

"Thanks to that map, we already know where it's going," Chun-Li pointed out, "Whatever that fell from it could be important to the mission."

Chris wasn't so sure. That map was a bit too convenient for his comfort. However, Chun-Li had a point. They couldn't exclude any possibility.

"All right," He said, "Let's check it out."

Stage 1 Plain and Simple

The three heroes set off on their trek towards the crash site. By some extraordinary coincidence, there was a beaten path to walk on. However, by a slightly more ordinary coincidence, the beaten path was littered with various monsters and zombies. Luckily, Chris was there with his handheld to shoot anything that got to close. Unfortunately, almost anything seemed to be practically bullet-proof. The shots only stunned them for a few seconds. Fortunately, the few seconds was enough time for either Mario or Chun-Li to follow up with some well-placed punches, stomps, or kicks.

After sending a zombie flying into the nearby lake, Mario wondered why there were so many undead out and about on a sunny day in the countryside. As far as he knew, walking perversions of all that was pure and beautiful stuck to abandoned mansions or spooky castles, usual against a backdrop of twilight.

"Is this Wesker's work?" Chun-Li asked, recalling one of the masterminds from the previous merger with the Marvel universe.

"It…might be," Chris said unsure, "After the merger, I've been scrambling to collect as much information as possible. From what I've heard, Wesker's looking for some kind of ball."

Mario, taking a moment to uppercut another zombie, thought about this. He then remembered the strange ball those 'Bison Doll' girls were taking from Peach's Castle.

At the mention of this, Chun-Li said, "It's more than likely. That explains why there was a Nemesis deployed from the airship."

But Chris wasn't so sure. "Maybe…but I've also heard that Wesker's been selling his genetic monsters to the highest bidder. Or just letting them loose in the world."

At this point, Mario noticed something sticking out of the lake. He squinted at it. It looked like a pipe- no, it looked more like the barrel of a-

Mario pulled Chun-Li and Chris down with him just as the ball of fiery death rocketed over them, just barely missing. It conveniently blew open a hole in the approaching zombie platoon, and the countryside they walked on.

"What was that?!" Chris cried, his voice partially muffled by the terra firma.

Chun-Li looked towards where the shot had come from and blanched. "Ohhh _crap!_"

Coming out of the lake was a fiendish fusion of the two most popular weapons in war. It had the arms, head, and upper torso of a giant robot, which in particular looked like a gorilla that was trying out for rugby. Where its legs should have been built, was the body of a monstrous army tank. Its treads were dotted with spikes, and had multiple cannons positioned everywhere.

And it was coming towards the three heroes.

"So, it's a giant robot in an army tank?" Chun-Li gritted, trying to keep calm.

"Looks like," Chris replied, checking his weapons. He didn't have anything that would put even a dent in its armor. "Running still bad for you?"

"I'll manage."

The tank fired another giant fireball, causing the trio to dodge it. Chris and Chun-Li ducked, while Mario used another zombie as a stepping stone to jump over it. Thankfully, the recoil of the blast stopped the tank-bot and pushed it back several inches. Mario, Chun-Li and Chris took that moment in enact a strategic retreat. They zipped down the road, dodging zombies and whatever projectile the tank fired from its lesser-cannons. They didn't bother fighting the zombies- They couldn't afford to be delayed, and the undead were quickly crushed underneath the tank's treads anyway.

The trio (Let's call them, Team Mario, shall we?) soon came upon a new obstacle to deal with; someone had placed a giant staircase made from stone blocks in their path. To wide to go around, the three were forced to jog up and jump down the other side. For a few minutes, it seemed like the stairway would be even more inhibiting to the tank-bot than it was to them. However, one blast from its main cannon reduced the staircase to rubble. What was more, the robot arms picked up the larger chunks of stone and threw them at the heroes.

"Why is that thing-" Chun-Li paused to kick a rock back at the robot, "-after us?"

Mario didn't see what was so strange about a random monster, mechanical or not, popping out of nowhere to threaten them. It happened to him so much he rarely thought about it.

"We can't keep running forever," Chris said, "We need to find away to neutralize it."

Chun-Li looked around, and saw something. "There!" She yelled, running off the beaten path, Mario and Chris close behind. The tank-bot turned to follow, grinding up more zombies in its wake.

Chun-Li led them towards a canyon, gapped by a bridge. It wasn't one of those rickety rope bridges with rotting planks, either it. This bridge had been made from great oaks, the kind only giant lumberjacks could bring down with their mighty axes!

In any case.

Mario, Chun-Li and Chris crossed the bridge while dodging enemy fire. And sure enough, once the tank-bot began to its own crossing, there was an ominous (But expected) creaking and cracking sounds. The robot head managed to express worry just in time before the bridge broke, sending it plummeting down into the canyon, out of sight. The three watched it fall before they heard a _very_ distance thud drifting up from the bottom.

_Stage 1 complete_

Chun-Li nodded. "Okay, let's go."

And with that, they turned and marched away.

**ELSEWHERE**

A few miles away from the path Team Mario was taking, a village was in ruins. It was a small community, just a few houses and a store, a one-horse town. Except now those houses had been wrecked. Holes in the walls, doors kicked down, windows broken, roofs on fire…the 'berg was a miserable shell of its former humble glory.

Link stared at the mess in shock. Who could do such a thing? And whoever it was, this wasn't just destruction for the sake of destruction; they were _looking _for something. Inside the houses, closets had been ransacked, attics ransacked and safes were cracked, but nothing was taken.

Link noticed a pair of unusual tracks leading away from the village. They didn't look like they belonged to any beast he had seen before, and they were too big to have been made by a boot.

Link unsheathed the Master Sword and set out, prepared for the worst.

Stage 2: Plain Confusing

Link journeyed across the plains, following the tracks. As he did, he came across the usual hazards of foot travel- pitfalls, inexplicably-placed blocks, and various monsters. As Link went on, he thought about the village that was attacked. What was so important that it would warrant such destruction? And who was behind it all? Even more peculiar was how the havoc was wreaked. Though there was plenty of fire and damage, it also seemed so…_clean_. Walls that had been cut down had burn marks around the edges, but no fire.

Link was briefly brought out of his musings when he came across the first real hurdle of his trek. The bridge over a small canyon was full of holes, but that only half of the problem. The other half was that the rest of the bridge was made up of panels that 'flipped over' whenever someone nearby jumped.

Unfortunately, the tracks clearly showed that whoever had ransacked the village had gone across the bridge. Link studied the bridge, and then did an inquisitive hop to see how the bridge reacted. Then he made a second hop. After watching which panels flipped and in what directions, Link prepared to make his move. Taking careful steps, he walked towards spots that would have panels under them when he jumped, hopping very delicately. It took a few minutes, but once he got the hang of it he was on the other side in no time at all.

Moving right along, Link continued to follow the tracks. It was simple enough, they were quite fresh. This meant that whatever had destroyed that village wasn't too far ahead.

Link suddenly realized something. _Where were the villagers?_ The houses looked too well-kept to be part of a ghost town, recent damages aside, so what happened to the people living there? Did they just flee, or…

Link's train of thought was halted as he came across another obstacle. It was another pit, surprise surprise, but this one wasn't bottomless. Instead, it was similar to a traditional tiger trap, only it was about twenty feet long. Lining the bottom were dozens of what looked like the Piranha Plants of the Mushroom Kingdom, only less cute. They snapped and growled, eagerly awaiting some poor sap to fall in. One stopped to stare at Link, and soon the rest followed suit. Link backed away from the edge and reviewed his obstacle. There seemed to be no way around this pit, as it was placed in the middle of another small canyon. Luckily, he spied several small platforms hovering above it. They would make decent stepping stones. That they were out of range for a jump was of little consequence.

Taking out his Hookshot, Link aimed and shot the closest platform. Within a few seconds he was pulled up. The plants below groaned. They were getting hungry. Standing carefully, Link aimed and shot the next platform over, did as such until he was on the platform nearest to the opposite side of the pit. Leaping down onto the solid ground, Link continued on.

Through it all, Link kept coming upon strange monsters, the likes of which he had never seen before, though they did look familiar. It was as if some cruel and heartless god had removed parts from notable beasts and jammed into these misshapen creatures. Whatever they were, wherever they came from, Link took the Master Sword and carved through them. Some flew over head, but that was why the goddess had allowed bow and arrows to be built.

Soon Link came upon a pedestal standing in the middle of the road. On it was some kind of tool, like a flashlight. At least, Link _assumed _it was a flashlight. Picking it up, he gave it a curious once-over. There was a dark blue, a single big button on the side. He pushed it down, but nothing happened. A faint red light emitted from the bulb-end, but it wasn't bright enough to explore a dark area with. Confused, Link kept it anyway, _just in case._

You got the FLASHLIGHT!

Link moved on. HE passed through a pair of pillars inexplicably placed besides the path, but paid them no heed.

_Stage 2 complete!_

Soon Link came upon the foot of a mountain. A very steep mountain, but that wasn't important. IT was the figure standing at it.

It was a man…at least Link hoped it was a man. There was definitely something masculine about the way the person stood. He wore armor that was mostly red. On his chest were two green bulbs. He had long, flowing blond hair growing out from under his helmet, tied into a ponytail.

Zero pulled out a small rod from behind his back. From one end came a long pole of bright, sparking light.

Link quickly unsheathed his sword, realizing that this first impression would not be good.

_Link vs Zero_

Zero's free hand retracted into his wrist and from the hole fired a bolt of energy. Link brought up his shield in time to block it, but the force of the impact still knocked him back a few steps. Zero fired again, but this time Link was ready for it. He hopped to the side, avoiding the blast, and charged at Zero, Master Sword raised for striking. The attempted blow was blocked by the Z-Saber, and there was a brief surge of power as both fighters felt electrical and mystical energy clash. Link felt his entire bone structure tingle as his hair became fuzzy underneath that iconic green hat. Zero, meanwhile, grimaced as his eyes briefly changed from red to blue. After a minute of this, the two swordsmen jumped away from each other. Though otherwise unharmed, Link's body still shook from the current. Zero, meanwhile, shook his head, his eyes going back from blue to red.

Link realized that a battle of swordsmanship would end badly for him, and resolved to fight from a distance. Taking out his bow, Link fired an arrow at Zero. The reploid swung his Z-saber, effectively incinerating the medieval projectile into non-existence. However, at this time Link had already moved to another point, letting a second arrow fly. Arrow #2 managed to hit, striking Zero in the head just outside his peripheral vision. Unfortunately, the arrow didn't penetrate. Realizing that he would need something with a higher damage rate, Link reached into his bag and pulled out a lit bomb.

But Zero obviously didn't feel like waiting for the bomb to drop. He crouched down and shot towards Link at a speed that would have made Sonic the Hedgehog green with envy. Link dove to the side to avoid a slash that would have taken his head off, and performed a spinning attack immediately after landing. The whirl caught Zero, slashing him repeatedly. However, Zero showed no sign of being damaged, though he did look a smidge disoriented. (eyes went from purple to blue and back again)

Then the bomb Link dropped exploded.

Boom!

Link saw his chance in the smoke that was kicked up, and leapt at Zero's form, sword readied. He swung it at where he hoped Zero's neck was, causing it to recoil with twankg!

When the smoke cleared, Zero fell. Link stared at his prone form.

_End Battle_

**glitch detected_**

**i am error_**

**ctrl alt del_**

**scanning mainframe_**

**all your base belong to us_**

**diagnosing problems_**

**ttly pwnd_**

**noob_**

**chance of fixing?_**

**0%_**

**roftl_**

**full system reboot?_**

**_yes_**

Zero got up, his head spinning with error messages and internet chatspeak. He had no idea where he was, or what he was doing. Looking around, he found that he was in some kind of field at the foot of a mountain. Before him, a short distance away, was a man in a green tunic and pointy hat, wielding a sword and shield, both of which were raised defensively. The man in green's demeanor suggested that Zero should pick his next move _very carefully._

Zero tried to access his memory bank, in order to figure out how he came to be in the current situation. However, he found that there was an ominous gap in between the days after the merger and the present time. Fear swept through Zero as he realized that he whatever happened during that gap- _what he had done_ –was probably the reason why Link (Where did name come from? It was the green swordsman's name, but how did he know that) was so ready with the sword.

"Whatever I did…however I acted…" Zero wanted to say 'It wasn't my fault', but that sounded hallow even in his mind. Instead he said, "I'm sorry."

Link felt the sincerity in Zero's voice, and saw the reploid bow his head down in penance. Slowly, he lowered his own sword. Sheathing it, Link came over for a closer look. The sickly purple color in Zero's eyes had faded completely, replaced by a pure blue.

Before either of them could come to an understanding, they felt a slight tremor in the air. A noise like several giant propellers spinning, accompanied by the large but slightly muffled sound of a fire going. Link saw a cave opening nearby, grabbed Zero (Who was still looking a bit disoriented) and dragged him to it. Looking out from whatever shelter the cave provided, they saw the Airship fly through the sky. From the smoke left from the rockets built into its back (Where the rudders normally would be) they saw a strange substance drop down, like an eerie rain. And wherever the 'raindrops' landed, a zombie would dig itself out of the ground, looking very upset at its eternal slumber being interrupted. It wasn't long before the area was full of shambling perversions of life.

Link and Zero exchanged uneasy looks. Neither of them wanted to try and get through _that _mob scene. Looking around, they saw that the cave went further down into the mountain. Link took out and lit up his lantern, but Zero held out his arm, stopping him.

"I'll go first." the reploid said.

Stage 3: Tunnel Vision

With Zero leading the way, the unlikely pair journeyed down the tunnel. At first, it was completely calm; there were no creatures lurking in the shadows, and neither Link nor Zero felt like talking. In fact, the utter lack of anything soon became unsettling, and the duo soon started to jump at the slightest sound.

_Crk_

The two whirled at the noise, blades drawn, one fizzling. Link held his lantern out to shed a little light on the subject.

It was a mole. The mole took off his sunglasses, blinked, put the sunglasses back on, and dug back into the ground.

Feeling a little sheepish, both men put their weapons away.

Continuing their trek, Zero decided to take the time to try and get his thoughts together. He tried to think back to before the blank occurred;

_It was just after the merger between universes had completed. Zero found that instead of the Maverick Hunter's main base, he was now in some sort of tree house. Looking around, he found that it was one of several tree houses built in a village, connected by splintery walkways; a veritable village. Looking down off the edge, Zero couldn't see the bottom, and deduced that he was that it would be too dangerous a height to jump from. He heard a door opening-_

And that was it. His mind stopped functioning then and there, only to start up again outside a short while ago. Zero could only presume that whoever he heard opening that door was responsible, which was little comfort. Whoever- or whatever- his attacker was must have had incredible insight and knowledge on his system in order to deactivate him without causing excess damage.

The pair came upon a larger cavern, in which there was a gap between them and another tunnel. Zero noticed Link bringing out some sort of medieval harpoon gun. Zero followed the gun's aim, and saw that Link was pointing it at some moss at the top of a pillar sticking out of the gap. The Maverick Hunter suddenly had a premonition on what his green-clad companion was planning. And he wasn't sure if moss could support their combined weight.

"Wait, I have another idea." Zero took hold of Link's arm and crouched down. Boosters in Zero's feet powered-up, and he shot across the gap with a _zchoomp!_, landing precisely on the pillar. It was a small pillar, barely enough room for two, but they pulled it off, mostly with Zero's grip. Link may or may not have been aware of this, as he had a shocked, bug-eyed look on him.

"I probably should've warned you," Zero admitted, "Here we go again!"

_Zchoomp!_

Now the two were across the gap entirely, standing on the cliff at the other side. Link, though still a bit unnerved about what had just happened, seemed to have calmed down a bit. His eyes weren't bugging out anymore, anyway…

Moving onward, they found that they're way was blocked by a series of carnivorous plants growing out of the rocky floor, ceiling, and walls of the tunnel. They snapped their jaws menacingly, drooling slightly.

Now it was Zero's turn to appear unnerved. He knew about meat-eating fauna, but nowhere in his database did it say that said fauna showed, well, _intelligence_. These plants, however, despite not having visibile eyes, were leering at the pair with malicious intent. And was it his imagination, or were some of them _gesturing_ with their leaves? The movement made it seem like they were saying, "Hey! Get over her! We're hungry!" It was unsettling, quite frankly.

Zero wasn't sure how the plants made Link feel, as the pointy-eared hero didn't say anything. He did, however, unsheathe his sword and begin chopping away at the plants, beheading them in clockwork fashion, sometimes two or three at a time. Zero did the same, and slowly but surely the two cut their way forward.

Then the ground dropped out from under them. No, really. The two barely had time to yell as gravity reared its immaterial head. As they fell, they felt a slight heat from below. Looking down, they saw that the shaft was dotted with-

"FIREBALLS?!" Zero cried, just barely avoiding contact with one. He activated the boosters on his feet to control the direction of his fall. Link meanwhile used his shield to glide with. It was hard to do, and they still got burned several times.

It made no sense. The fireballs didn't seem to be generated by any outside source. Not even floating torches. But it was impossible for fire to burn without fuel!

As the ground came rapidly closer this affront to the laws of physics became unimportant. The two heroes landed feet first with a noise that bounced off of the shaft's walls. For a moment, neither of them moved- The feeling in their legs was conspicuously absent. Then, it came back with a vengeance.

"Ow." Zero said. Link slowly nodded, sharing the sentiment.

Spotting a surprisingly well-kept door in the wall, they left.

_Stage 3 clear_

Walking down the tunnel, Zero and Link came into another wide room, this one without a pit. Actually, there _was _a pit of a kind, but this one was filled with water. The chamber had a dank smell, like a basement with leaky pipes.

The room itself was decorated in a manner that seemed to combine the aesthetics of a b-movie mad scientist's workshop and a church. The area was dark, gloomy, with the only light shining down on a hunched-over figure sitting at a desk, clad in white.

"I didn't think anyone would p-p-p-penetrate my defenses so easily," The figure said, standing up. Turning around he showed that he was a man with a monocle. "And yet here you are."

"Where are we?" Zero asked. Besides him, Link looked about and noticed something.

"A sanctuary. Someplace where I can continue my research without interference." Agnus explained, walking around. "And I can do with as little interruptions as I study…_this!_"

_This _turned out to be a glowing ball on a pedestal. The light it emitted was of ever-changing colors, and those colors shinned off of Agnus' monocle like an alien moon.

"Look at it," Agnus breathed, "This sphere contains so much power, and yet it is only this size…and I can tell at a glance it grants so much more than mere physical strength…!" His tone quickened. "This ball reflects all that could be!"

Link felt a slight tingle on his hand, and saw that the Triforce mark had appeared on its back, glowing through the glove. However, instead of a steady, serene glow as usual, the light was flickering.

Something…wasn't right.

"And it is still just a small part of a bigger whole!" Agnus almost ranted, and then his voice grew calmer. "But I doubt that would be of interest to the likes of _you_."

Something about the ball seemed to stick in Zero's mind. For some reason, his processors were telling him that the ball was important, but lacked the data as to why. The file wasn't found. A glance at Link showed that the green-clad warrior was staring intently at the subject.

"Actually, I think that _would _be of interest to us," Zero said, "you were saying it had power…?"

Agnus didn't replay at first. It occurred to both Zero and Link that this was not exactly a good sign. They didn't know Agnus at all, but judging from his previous actions, he was a man who loved to talk. This silence was disconcerting, but Agnus' next words were even moreso, mostly due to the tone in which he said them.

"I…admit that my studies have brought more questions than answers," Agnus said, looking at the floor. His gaze lifted. "But that is only from a lack of…test subjects."

The lights, save the glow from the orb, went off, and Agnus seemed to vanish into the darkness that filled 94 percent of the room. Link went for his lantern, but before he could light it, illumination returned, this time filling the entire chamber. The area looked better in this new light, save for one detail.

Agnus was gone. A giant white bug-man stood before Zero and Link. It brandished a large black sword, and had buzzing wings that lifted it into the air.

"PREPARE YOURSELF!" The bug-man bellowed, its mandibles clicking. "YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER THAT I HAVE OBTAINED! AND YOUR DEATHS WILL SERVE TO ADVANCE MY RESEARCH!"

Link and Zero brought out their blades.

_Boss Battle: Angelo Agnus_

Angelo Agnus charged at them, his claws and sword glowing. The two heroes jumped in opposite directions to avoid his attack. While in mid-leap Zero readied and aimed his Z-Buster, firing when charged. The blast struck Angelo Agnus in the left arm (Though calling it an arm would be stretching it), causing the humanoid insect to growl. And with Agnus' attention as on Zero, Link took the moment to jump at the monster, sword raised, tip glinting.

He wasn't fast enough. Agnus raised his own sword in defense and blocked the assault. Sparks of all sizes and colors flew as the blades clashed. Unfortunately, as Agnus could fly, he had the superior position and pushed Link back. However, whatever holy power imbued into the Master Sword made their mark on Agnus- his arm was black and smoking. The demon hissed and tried to blow on it.

Zero charged, his Z-saber ignited and readied. The blade of searing light effectively cleaved its way through Agnus' body. That should have been the end of it, but for reasons unknown and unfair, the cut was healing itself as quickly as it was being made. Zero processed this just as Agnus kicked him away.

An arrow hammered itself into one of Agnus' wings. Agnus turned to see Link had his bow raised and a second arrow nocked.

Agnus hissed and smacked the next arrow away with his free claw. Link didn't stop, and fired a third. This one actually exploded, having a bomb attached. But Agnus hissed, and held out both arms. Behind him a red circle with black innards appeared behind him, and from it flew…creatures that looked like Agnus' sword, only their extended hilts were flapping, like a pair of unimaginative wings. All of them bore down on Link, too quickly for him to get the Master Sword.

Zero moved fast. Zipping around, he slashed at the creatures with his Z-saber, chopping them in half. The creatures' remains seemed to evaporate before they even hit the ground. During this time, Agnus charged at Zero, but was intercepted by Link. Their blades met again, causing another flash of light. Agnus howled and backed off.

_The only time he shows any sign of damage is whenever Link's sword connects, _Zero thought, _Looks like we'll have to plan accordingly._

And for the rest of the battle Link and Zero followed this pattern; whenever Zero would distract and draw Agnus' attention, Link would attack from out of sight with his Master Sword. It wasn't a easy battle, though. Agnus would circle around the room at high speed, hoping to catch and finish his opponents off with his increased momentum. This attack was easy enough to dodge, luckily. One of the more unpleasant maneuvers Agnus unleashed was when he opened his red portal again. Instead of a small swarm of flying sword-creatures, two monstrous tentacles shot out and began to flail about. They proved to be impossible to cut, and whenever the tentacles came out Zero and Link had to move fast or be knocked around.

Luckily, whenever Agnus opened the portal, he had to be completely still, most likely from concentration. This gave both Zero and Link a chance to get in some free hits. And as the fight wore on, Zero noticed that wounds caused by the Master Sword didn't heal quickly. Taking that knowledge into account, Zero charged his Z-buster, preparing to strike at the right time.

And the right time came at the next moment. Link stabbed the Master Sword directly through Agnus' chest, coming out the back As Agnus howled in pain and his body tried to regenerate, Zero fired a round from his Z-buster, hitting the wounded back.

This proved to be too much. Agnus writhed and shook violently as the two unpleasant energies forced their way into each other. Link managed to pull his sword out just in time.

BWAM!

The two heroes shielded their eyes as Agnus' body flashed with light. When it faded, Agnus' body had resumed its human appearance. The alchemist had fallen to his knees and was scrambling to get up.

"B-b-but, it was impossible for me to have been defeated!" Agnus gasped, his monocle knocked askew. "I had the power…my calculations allowed for any eventuality! Except…that sword," he pointed at the Master Sword. "Please tell me, where d-d-d-d you get that sword? My research…I have to know!" He whipped out a pad of notepaper from his coat.

Then something odd happened. The light from the orb began to flicker. And so did the tips of Agnus' fingers. Agnus gasped as Link and Zero stared in shock.

"No…what is this…how can this be?" Agnus whispered, watching as his fingers began to stream away from his body and into the orb. "Is this a result...wait…no…wait!"

Link and Zero watched as Agnus' entire being was pulled into the orb. The orb looked less like a ball and more like a hole, which Agnus' now fluid-like body was swirling down.

"My research!" Agnus' voice echoed as he was pull in. "_My research! It's not complete! I have to KNOW! __**I JUST WANTED TO**__**KNOW!**_"

And then there was silence.

"I…don't think he knew anything." Zero said at last. He walked over and bent down to where Agnus had dropped his notes. They might come in handy.

Link, meanwhile, walked cautiously towards the orb, which resumed its normal state. After a moment, he held it up. Up close, he saw that it seemed to have intersecting lines, like a crudely-drawn X.

You got the ORB! (Be careful, it might be fragil…)

The Triforce on his and fizzled again. A bit unnerved, Link tucked the orb away in his bag. He didn't like it, but leaving the thing just lying around seemed like a bad idea.

Looking around, they saw another doorway.

They didn't see the pair of eyes on the wall.

_Level 3 complete_


	39. Adventure Mode: Level 4

_Level 4: Octopus Park_

Somewhere in the wild, a man of Japanese ethnicity (Not that you could tell from looking) was doing martial arts katas near a waterfall. This man was dressed in a white karate uniform with a red headband around his forehead.

As Ryu did his traditional punches and kicks, he decided to finish the combo with something impressive. He leapt into the air, his body spinning into an uppercut.

"_Shoryuken!_" He cried out.

Because he did this right next to the falls itself, the result was a spinning current shooting up through the water.

Interestingly enough, up on the banks on top of the waterfall was a small pink creature, happily roasting weenies over a campfire. This pink thing looked rather like a ball, excusing the two feet underneath and the stubby little flaps it used as arms. It had a simple, adorable face.

However, Kirby's happy weenie-roast was interrupted by an inexplicable wave of water that seemed to just sprout up from nowhere. Water dripping off of his round body, Kirby blinked. He noticed that his fire had been extinguished. He then noticed in alarm that his precious hot dog was gone!

Kirby stood up and looked around, hoping to find the culprit, if there was one. Looking over the waterfall, Kirby saw a man in what looked like white pajamas, with the sleeves torn off.

Kirby puffed up angrily. _He _must have been responsible!

Back down below, Ryu allowed himself a break. The training was going well, but he knew that exercise alone wouldn't improve his skills. He needed something that would allow him to put his routine into practice.

"Poyo!"

Ryu looked around. What was that? It sounded like a child…

Something pink and round jumped off from the waterfall and landed before him. It looked like giant gumball with flaps and red lumps for feet. For a face it had two big, black eyes and a tiny mouth that was curved into an unbearably adorable frown.

Ryu blinked. If he was back home, he might have been worried. But experience has taught him that if anything unusual shows up after a dimensional merger, it's really there, which is slightly less worrying than the idea that he was hallucinating.

"Um," Ryu began, not sure how to go about this. "Can I help…"

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted again, pointing one of his flappy arms at Ryu accusingly. "Poyo poyo! Oyo-yoyo poy!"

Ryu's language skills may not have been up to the task of translating 'gumballspeak', but years of fighting have taught him to know when he's being challenged. And this creature, whatever it was, was definitely doing that. Even if was looking adorable while doing it.

Kirby, his anger ignited by the loss of food, threw himself at Ryu.

_Ryu vs Kirby_

Ryu's finely-honed instincts as a fighter kicked into high-gear, and he took his stance. Kirby jump and delivered a flying kick that bounced off of the Japanese man's raised forearms. The exchange didn't hurt either fighter, though Ryu was a tiny bit stunned at Kirby's aggression. And then became even more stunned when Kirby didn't hit the ground. The little puffball was going up!

Kirby, having swallowed a good amount of air, flapped quickly. Once he was high enough, he decided that to transform. Kirby's entire body became like a block of stone and down he went. Ryu, having watched it all from the ground, jumped to the side to avoid being flattened.

_This is getting ridiculous. _Ryu thought, and decided to end this before it got out of hand. He cupped his hands together and focused a small amount of _ki_ into them.

"_Hadoken!_"

It was one of the _softest_ _Hadoken_s Ryu had ever fired, but Ryu wasn't trying to hurt his pink attacker. Hopefully the display would frighten the little bugger off and Ryu could eat his lunch, currently cooking on a nearby campfire.

But life, and fights, have a tendency not to meet one's expectations. Instead of running away from the flying ball of _ki_, Kirby stood his ground and faced it head-on.

Or mouth-on. Ryu was rather impressed (and slightly worried) to see the _Hadoken _vanish into the gaping maw that appeared under Kirby's eyes. Kirby shut his mouth, his cheeks bulging cutely, and swallowed.

_Fwash_

The light shone for less than a second, and when it was gone something had changed. Kirby was wearing a red headband not unlike Ryu's. And had a stance like his, too.

_It's the little things that make a fight interesting._ Ryu thought.

Kirby launched himself at Ryu again, but this time his kick had more kick than before. It wasn't long before Kirby and Ryu were fighting like two masters in a battle of the art. Ryu was a little impressed (And more than a little annoyed) that Kirby was able to emulate his art so well. Luckily, it wasn't a perfect emulation, as fighting something so small was a little tiresome. It wasn't that Kirby was particularly strong, just very nimble, so Ryu had a bit of a time trying to land a blow himself. Kirby seemed to just float between his feet and hands, like a leaf dancing in the breeze.

However, Ryu had also honed his aim against other leaves.

"Hyah!" Ryu cried, planting his fist into Kirby's face. The little puffball went flying toward the river, but caught himself just short of hitting the water's surface. Kirby flew back onto the land. Once there, it glared at Ryu and then positioned his arms in a way that was very familiar.

_No way… _Ryu thought, shocked. _That's just too much…_

"_Hadoken!_" Kirby cried, and let the _ki_-ball go. Unlike the first one, this _Hadoken _was _not _soft, and when it hit the space Ryu was once standing in there was a good-sized crater.

_I can't let this go on_, Ryu thought, re-balancing himself. _That creature doesn't seem to realize what kind of power it has!_

Ryu knew he had to end the fight, and decided to focus his ki into one enhanced attack. Kirby, meanwhile, took off his headband.

Now _what's it doing?_ Ryu thought, rushing forward.

Kirby put the mouth into his mouth, and then spat out a large yellow star at Ryu. The martial artist was already in motion, jumping over the star and performing a spin with one leg extended.

"_Tatsumaki!_"

The helicopter kick caught Kirby dead-on, striking multiple times before sending the pink star warrior flying again. He hit and tree and fell flat on his face.

_End battle_

Ryu stood ready. It wasn't likely that Kirby would get back up, but it was better to be prepared. When Kirby did indeed pulled himself to his feet, he didn't seem to focused on Ryu. His eyes were drifting in the air, and he was making a sniffing sound. Confused, Ryu sniffed as well. He became aware of the smell of smoke.

_What could be burning- Aack! _Ryu thought as realization hit.

The two warriors reconciled over the saved lunch. As Kirby inhaled three of the cooked fish, Ryu calmly finished the fourth.

"What's your name?" Ryu asked as Kirby pulled the fish bones out from his mouth.

"Kaabi."

_Kaabi? Oh, Kirby._ "I'm Ryu," The fighter introduced, "You know, you're quite the fighter. Where did you train?"

Kirby cocked his…head, so to speak, uncomprehendingly. Train? He didn't come in one a train, he came in on a warpstar. It soon occurred to Ryu that unless Kiry had some deep-hidden linguist skills, this conversation wouldn't go anywhere.

"I've been training here myself since the worlds' merged," the martial artist said, "It's been mostly peaceful, except…" He paused briefly, "There are times when I sense this abnormal _ki _in the air."

Kirby blinked.

"It's odd…I can't really place it," Ryu went on, "It's almost like fog, in a way. Drifting. It's possible the merger has disrupted my abilities slightly, but that-"

There was a loud scream in the distance. Ryu and Kirby leapt to their feet.

"What was that?" Ryu asked, looking around.

Kirby hopped up on Ryu's shoulders before floating up into the air. Looking around, he saw a trail of smoke coming up from the ruins of what looked like an amusement park. Letting out the air, he fell back into Ryu's arms and pointed.

"That way?" Ryu asked, "Let's go."

Stage 1: Boardwalk

The pair set off, using the river as a guideline. Not long after they found a wooden bridge leading directly towards the park. However, it was in the process of being overtaken by the nearby forest. Planks were broken off here and there, mangroves were growing out of the holes, and creeping vines were growing everywhere. There was also a great deal of litter, sometimes piled into makeshift walls. This made things especially hard for Ryu, who as a rule didn't wear shoes. Luckily, most of the obstacles could be easily dealt with via a few good strikes, or if necessary, a decent _Hadoken_. However, he avoided the latter option as much as he could.

Kirby, meanwhile, was having the time of his life, jumping and flying over any difficulties. Any loose rubble he came upon was just inhaled, and sometimes used as ammunition to blast away the litter walls.

As the two went forward, they soon came upon other problems. Namely, the boardwalk was littered with Koopa Troopas and Goombas. They didn't seem to be doing much, just mulling about, but both Ryu and Kirby could that there was some purpose to their presence.

"…We've been here a whole month and…"

"…We already checked there, and besides…"

"…The king and those other two are getting' mighty sore…"

"…Can't believe none of the rides are open, not even the Tea Cups…"

One Troopa looked up and saw the heroes heading their way. "Ahh! Sound the alarm! We got trouble coming!"

The rest of the monsters stopped their scatterbrained chatter and, as one, turned to look.

"It's Kirby!" A Goomba cried, "And…who's the guy in pajamas?"

"Wait a minute, I think I know him!" One Koopa Paratroopa pulled out a sheet of a paper and gave it a once-over. "Yeah, he's one of the guys that Bison jerk told us to be on the lookout for!"

"Get them!"

As one, ugly-looking and small-minded force, the forces of Bowser surged towards Ryu and Kirby. They weren't very successful in overwhelming their intended victims, however. Ryu easily repelled his attackers, and when they attempted to mob him…

"_Shoryuken!_"

The sight of the Koopa creatures being sent flying in all directions brought a smile to Kirby's face, and the little puffball laughed- up until one large Paratroopa tried to pluck him out of the air.

"Gotcha!" The Paratroopa crowed.

Kirby frowned, and became a stone.

"Uh-ohhhhhh!" Paratroopa cried as he was pulled down, and crashed into the river. A few seconds later Kirby pulled himself out and back onto the boardwalk. He spat out a pair of wings.

As this went on, a Koopa Troopa grabbed a Paragoomba.

"Alert the main force in the park!" He barked, "Tell them who's coming and to be ready!"

After powering through the Troopas, Kirby and Ryu approached the main gates of Octopus Park.

Stage 1 clear

Deeper inside the park, evil was at work. Large amounts of Koopa creatures were searching around, digger through unused snack stands and rides. Standing in the center and overlooking it all were two figures.

One was another Bison Doll, and the other was a Koopa wearing large, coke-frame glasses over his eyes and a dark-blue wizard's robe and hat over his body. The wizard-dressed one was examining a sheet of paper that was at least twice his size.

"This is ridiculous," The Magikoopa grumbled, turning the paper all around. He seemed to be of the opinion that reading it another way would change its meaning. "There has to be a better way of finding that dumb ball than this! We'll never get anywhere just by searching by hand!"

The Bison Doll didn't bother looking at him. "Due to the target's erratic energy signature, our detectors are only able to pinpoint its location to within a certain distance. Once we entered a five hundred radius of it, finding it by radar became impossible. Why don't you use magic?"

"I've _been _using magic!" The Magikoopa snarled, crumpling up the map and throwing it away. "What do you think I've been doing here, twiddling my thumbs? But magic isn't an exact science, remember? Each scrying spell gets vague and misleading results!"

"Sir! Sir!" A voice from above called out. Both Doll and Magikoopa looked up to see a Paragoomba flying their way.

"Great, more good news," Magikoopa groaned sarcastically.

The Paragoomba landed right before the leaders on his face. Getting to his feet, he saluted operation commanders with his left wing.

"Sir! We're under attack!" Paragoomba reported, "Kirby and one of those guys on Mr. Bison's list are headed this way!"

"Which one?" the Bison Doll asked.

"Judging from the pajamas and headband, we think it might be Rhy-Uh!" Paragoomba replied.

"Ryu." The Bison Doll corrected.

"I don't care how it's pronounced!" Magikoopa shouted, "Someone get Meta Knight down here, on the double! We can't let either of them interfere with this operation!"

As the Magikoopa ranted, gave orders, a small figure watched from a distance. Zelda wasn't really sure what the raiders were up to, but she had at most a vague idea. One of the name's that wizard had dropped sounded faintly familiar; _Kirby_. She didn't know who this 'Kirby' was, but it felt like she couldn't let him fall into the Koopas get him or his companion. But the real question was how. She had almost been captured by them once, having narrowly escaped when her scream broke Magikoopa's glasses.

All of this was put aside for the moment when Bison Doll looked in Zelda's direction. The brainwashed woman's eyes narrowed and she pointed. "There! That girl from before!"

Zelda gulped. She took a step back. And then, as Magikoopa and Paragoomba turned to look, she broke out into a full run.

Magikoopa gawked for a second before he began to yell. "It's Zelda! _Seize her!_"

Stage 2: Midway

As Zelda ran throughout the park, she heard the sounds of many creatures dropping what they were doing. It didn't take long before Koopas and Zombies started bursting out of the rubble that made up of half the theme park. One zombie got too close to her, its jaw just a decaying thread of flesh away from falling off. Zelda shrieked and thrust out her hand in a panic. From her palm came a burst of light that knocked the zombie off its feet and out of its joints. Zelda didn't bother to stop, jumping over the zombie's pieces.

_At least my magic has been getting better since the merge!_ Zelda thought hurriedly.

All around her, Zelda heard the minions crying out.

"Stop her!"

"Get a net!"

"Catch the princess!"

_Why do they keep calling me a princess? _Part of Zelda's brain queried as the rest of her focused on running.

(This Zelda is the one from _Skyward Sword_, just so you know)

Zelda zigged and zagged across the park grounds, zapping any poor creature that got too close with magic. Up ahead she saw that a bunch of Goombas forming what looked like a fungoid pyramid. And around them the zombies were linking arms in an undead human chain. They were hoping to box her in. Closing her eyes, she concentrated as a spell buried deep within her subconscious rose up.

"_Nayru's Wind!_"

Green light encased Zelda's body and she vanished in a flash. On the other side of the minions she reappeared. This shocked the Goombas so much that their pyramid collapsed. The zombies, while less expressive in their surprise, stumbled over themselves in an attempt to shamble after Zelda without undoing the chain.

_That's a useful spell_, Zelda thought, giggling in spite of the danger. _I just I could cover more ground with it…_

Something whirled by Zelda's ear, bringing the maiden back to reality. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Koopas wearing helmets throwing hammers in her direction. Zelda realized that she was a sitting duck out in the open and once again teleported with Farore's Wind. This time she reappeared on the roof of one of the stalls. The Hammer Bros jumped up after her, but Zelda was already on the move, jumping from one roof to another. After at least five roofs and twenty-one hammers, Zelda stopped. Another spell was coming to her. Cupping her hands together, she created a flame and compressed it into a ball. She then willed the ball at one of the Hammer Bros where it burst in his face.

"_Din's Fire!_"

FWOOM!

"Ack!" The Hammer Bro cried out as the explosion blew him away. The other Hammer Bro ducked to avoid being hit by the first Hammer Bro's exit, and fell off the roof he was standing on.

Zelda was enjoying the power she had, but knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it up. She had to escape, _again_. Looking around, she saw some of the broken down rides in the distance.

_Maybe I can lose them over there, _Zelda thought, and changed course. Ducking and dodging the attacking monsters, she made her way towards the roller coaster. As she got closer, the stress of running began to catch up with Zelda, and she slowed down. Once she was at the entrance to the ride, leaned against a flagpole, inadvertently tugging the rope and pulling up a flag.

Stage 2 clear

As Zelda panted, she heard a noise like several rupees being dropped into an empty. She barely had enough time to process this when the Bison Doll leapt out from nowhere delivered a kick to her side, knocking the spirit maiden down.

"Got her." Bison Doll said calmly. Then, without missing a beat, she went over and held Zelda by both arms from behind. Behind her, Magikoopa clutched his head with his wand-hand, while the other dug through the pockets of his robe.

"The spell," He fumbled out a container of aspirin, "Was not meant," With surprising deftness despite the pounding headache, her forced the lid off. "To carry two people," He downed a few pills and wiped his brow. Already the throbbing was getting better. "Okay, we've got Zelda. Even if we don't find the ball, King Bowser will be pleased to have one of Hyrule's Big Three, especially after that oaf Bison lost Princess Peach."

The Bison Doll's stoic expression briefly became a frown. "Why are these girls so important?"

"You're gang wants to rule the world, and you don't know about fundamental princess-kidnappings? Typical. Well, the first step to taking over a kingdom is to…"

The howl of something vaguely canine filled the air. A white blur suddenly leapt onto the scene and onto Magikoopa. The assailent- a white wolf with red markings on its body and flaming disc on its back –grabbed the Bison Doll with its jaws and tossed her aside with one flick of the head. The Doll was so shock that she let go of Zelda.

"Wow! Nice aim, Ammy!"

Zelda, rubbing her wrists, looked at the wolf. For a moment, it sounded like the wolf had talked! Then she noticed a green dot bouncing up and down on the wolf's nose.

"Hi!" The dot greeted energetically, "You must be Zelda! Boy, you're cute. Not much in the chest department, though…"

"Who are you?" Zelda asked, her checks flushing a little.

"Name's Issun! I'm what you call a traveling artist. And my companion here is the great God of the Sun, Amaterasu!"

A god? Now that the bug mentioned it, Zelda did feel a divine aura from the beast. But she had never heard of a god in the form of a wolf.

_Then again, I used to be a god myself,_ Zelda mused thoughtfully, _So who am I to say…_

Zelda reached over and stopped, unsure if petting was allowed. Amaterasu cocked her head, and walked closer. After a moment's hesitation, Zelda slowly stroked the god-wolf's. Amaterasu growled softly but unaggressive.

The moment was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"We can do this some other time, girls!" Issun announced, "We have to get outta here! Hop on, Zelda, Ammy'll drive!"

Nodding, Zelda found herself riding bareback on the wolf as Amaterasu shot off, following the tracks of the roller coaster. A second later Magikoopa appeared in a puff of smoke. Her glared at the trail of flowers that grew in Amaterasu's wake.

"That _tears _it!" he snarled, "I'm going to give that brat a piece of my mind…and my wand!"

Stage 3: Roller Coaster

As the 'divine team' rode up the tracks, Zelda felt a faint tingling in her body. There was something on the ride, and she had a feeling that Amaterasu felt it too; the wolf's fur was standing slightly on end.

Amaterasu charged went off, jumping over breaks in the track. But the real trouble came when Magikoopa appeared, riding on a broomstick.

"Don't think you can get away!" The Koopa wizard yelled, waving his magic wand.

He gestured at Zelda, and a magical triangle, circle, and square appeared, spinning at the girl. Zelda gasped and shot some Din's Fire to counter, and when the spells collided it created a small explosion.

"Yikes!" Issun gulped, "Keep the fireworks down, will ya?! Better let Ammy handle this."

Magikoopa sent more spells their way, which Amaterasu bounded over. She had to be careful how to time her jumps, as there were more breaks in the track and she didn't want to fall in. This went on for several minutes until Magikoopa forgot to look where he was going and crashed into a support structure. But they weren't out of danger yet.

Up ahead were Troopas and Paratroopas, either lying in wait or just goofing off. While Amaterasu had to take be careful not to run into the regular Troopas, the Paratroopas made _excellent _stepping stones when dealing with the larger holes in the track.

"This would be harder if that stupid wizard was here," Issun remarked.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" Magikoopa screamed, flying at them on his broom. There was a large band-aid on his beak.

Amaterasu made an unpleasant growl as Zelda glared at Issun.

"I Hey, don't look at me! I thought he was done for!" The tiny celestial envoy protested.

Magikoopa shot more spells at the group, only this time they became fireballs that floated through the air. Amaterasu had to do some impressive leaping to get through the flaming hurdles. This went on until Magikoopa once again flew into a support structure.

"What a maroon." Issun commented.

Stage 3 clear

That's when both Zelda and Amaterasu felt something. The Sun Goddess stopped and let Zelda off. They looked around, confused. There was a Triforce mark on Zelda's hand, faintly glowing.

"What? What's wrong?" Issun asked.

"Something's here," Zelda replied, "We can feel it."

A light shined up from below, and then they saw it. Wedged in the infrastructure of the roller coaster, was a glowing ball, and faintly scrawled on it was an X.

"There!" Zelda cried, "I'll be right back!"

With some effort, the maiden climbed down the structure towards where the Ball was. Cautiously, she reached out and touched it…

…and _felt everything!_

Zelda retracted her arm quickly as her mind spun. So many images and sounds...after calming down, she took some clothe and used it to cautiously take hold of the ball. Then, she (and this was difficult!) placed the ball into her bag. After making sure it's placement was secure, Zelda used Farore's Wind to return to Amaterasu.

Almost immediately they were snagged by a large net. Zelda gasped and Amaterasu howled in fury as they struggled to free themselves. The Bison Doll strode towards them, accompanied by the Hammer Bros. carrying a cannon with a smoking barrel.

"You sure they won't be pulling that disappearing stunt again?" One Hammer Bro asked cautiously.

"Not while they're contained in that magic-proof net Wesker developed," The Bison Doll replied, and her eyes drifted towards Zelda's glowing bag "We've even found the Ball. Prepare to return to the castle."

**ALSO**

When Ryu and Kirby entered the park, they found it devoid of life. They could tell from the wreckage that there had been some kind of battle, but there was nobody to be found. However, Ryu could still sense an unusual _ki_ around, but it was faint and fading- another remnant of the battle? There was also a different _ki_ remnant that Ryu could place- it had belonged to Amaterasu. He wondered what had happened to draw the Sun Goddess' attention.

"I'm afraid you're a bit too late, human." A voice as smooth as venom said.

Ryu and Kirby looked around for the source. Kirby saw it first, and pointed. Ryu followed Kirby's stubby limb up towards the roof of a broken-down carousal. Sitting on it was a pale, slim man with white hair and tights. He wore a cape over his body, and was holding his head up with his fist, like _The Thinker_.

"I came here hoping to capture the spirit maiden again and try to revive my master," The man explained, not looking at the two warriors. "But much to my surprise I find that she has slipped out of my grasp again. Well, I wouldn't_ slipped_…" His silky voice grew aggressive. "She was _taken_…by those idiotic _turtles!_" He began to shake. "Do you know how that makes me feel?" He began to gesture wildly. "_Angry! Furious! In short, it makes my blood boil!_"

The man stopped raging suddenly, and looked down at Ryu and Kirby. While Ryu had frozen in shock, Kirby was quivering behind the human's legs.

"Ah, I do apologize for that unseemly display," The man said in his calmer voice, "I've had a very difficult time as of late, and it's worn my normally expansive patience thin."

"Who…who _are _you?" Ryu asked at last. He could feel his fierce heartbeat pound against his chest. _I've never felt a _ki _this terrible_ _since Akuma!_

The man smiled unpleasantly, and leapt down from his perch. After landing before Ryu, he gave a short bow.

"I am Ghirahim," The man introduced, "I am the lord of the land I hail from. I do not blame you for not knowing that, as the land has undergone many…_changes _recently. And do not worry. It would not be fitting for someone of my station to take all of my anger out on a pair of strangers. No, I won't kill either of you," His tone grew hot and venomous again. "I'll just _beat you both within inches of your lives!_"

_Boss Battle: Ghirahim_

Ghirahim tossed away his red cape. With a calm, cocky smile he strode towards Ryu and Kirby. Ryu, for his part, took a fighting stance while Kirby shuffled in front, holding his arms out protectively.

"You get to safety," Ryu assured his little friend, "I can handle this guy."

"Adorable," Ghirahim chuckled, "Such false confidence."

Once they were close enough, Ghirahim pulled his arm back to strike at Ryu- but by that time Ryu was already in motion, landing several punches and kicks on the demon. Ghirahim was knocked back a step, but did not seem hurt. Instead, he licked his lips.

"So those big muscles are more than just show," He purred, "But they will be of little help against _my _power. Observe."

Ghirahim's gloves dissolved into nothingness, and his arms turned to a darker shade of grey.

"The skin of my flesh is harder than any steel," The self-titled lord went on, "And their exquisite shape is more-"

That was as far as Ghirahim got, as Ryu took that moment to deliver more blows, ending in an uppercut that sent Ghirahim crashing into a nearby garbage can.

"Insolent whelp!" Ghirahim snarled, and waved his hand.

A couple dozen glowing black daggers suddenly appeared and began to circle around Ryu. Ryu tensed, preparing to jump to safety when necessary, but that proved to be unnecessary- Kirby just inhaled them, and then spat a large yellow star at Ghirahim. The demon teleported away before being struck, and reappeared behind Ryu, but the street fighter was ready, stepping aside before being impaled by Ghirahim's black sword- which _also _was inhaled by Kirby. Kirby soon had a little sword of his own, and a green hat with a floppy point to go with it. Ghirahim had little time to curse the puffball, as Ryu blasted him with a _Hadoken_.

"I will not stand for this!" Ghirahim shrieked, "I am _Lord Ghirahim! _Not some scarecrow for you to toy with!" Frothing mad, he gave Ryu and Kirby looks that would have melted steel. "Look at you…acting so proud over such a pitiful display…as if two on one was anything to be proud of! But I share some of the blame…for allowing you the delusion of an escape…" Ghirahim's body seemed to glow, and his skin and clothes began to chip and peel away. "…But there is no salvation from a demon…or should I say the weapon of one?"

When Ghirahim's transformation as complete, what stood before Ryu and Kirby had only the barest resemblance to the man they started fighting. His entire body was muscular, all black with white stripes, and shiny. His eyes were empty, but possessed a searing heat to them. On his chest was some kind of large diamond.

Ghirahim and Ryu fought, with Kirby helping the latter out on the sidelines. While Ghirahim was a poor fighter, his raw strength and endurance more than made up for it. Ryu got struck in the chest once and knew he couldn't allow it to happen again. Kirby, meanwhile, would jump in whenever the two combatants had separated, trying to stab Ghirahim's chest-diamond with his sword. But Ghirahim would block Kirby's assaults with a large saw-sword he summoned. However, this gave Ryu an idea.

_He goes out of his way to protect that spot, _Ryu thought, _Maybe…_

Ryu crouched down and began to concentrate. He knew he would need more power for this than usual.

Meanwhile, Kirby had managed to successfully chip at the diamond, revealing something glowing on Ghirahim's chest. The demon sword hissed.

"Repulsive pest!" He spat, "Why don't you…"

"Kirby, get out of the way!"

Kirby and Ghirahim stopped and turned to Ryu. Kirby saw a glowing ball in Ryu's hand and caught on to the man's plan. He flew away, and Ryu thrust his palms forward.

"_CHOU-HADOKEN!_"

Ghirahim barely had to time to react as he found himself in the center of a massive beam of blue _ki_. The power washed over and through him, striking every cell of his body. When it ended, a good portion of the park was gone.

Oddly enough, this display of power had actually cooled Ghirahim's temper slightly. Maybe it was the widespread destruction behind him, or perhaps it was the shock.

"_Poyo!_" Swish!

In any case, Ghirahim's stupor was all the chance Kirby needed to impale his glowing spot on his sword. The demon staggered back, aghast.

"But… How… I…" Ghirahim gasped, his eyes bugging out. "You…just a…"

Kirby pulled his sword out, and Ghirahim dissolved into nothingness. The little star warrior looked up to see Ryu coming.

"Thank you," Ryu said, "I know I asked to fight alone at the beginning…but thank you for your assistance." _I probably could have won on my own…but there's no telling what would have happened to me._

There was a roar of jets, and Ryu and Kirby turned. Off in the distance they could see some kind of flying machine take off into the sky. Ryu felt the abnormal _ki _coming from it.

"Come on," He said, "Let's go."

As Kirby and Ryu went off, neither one of them noticed Meta-Knight watching.

_Level 4 complete._


	40. Adventure Mode: Level 5

Adventure Mode

_Level 5: Vines and Mines_

"Hey, there it is!" Chun-Li said, pointing.

Up ahead of her, Mario, and Chris was the downed aircraft. Upon closer inspection of the smoldering ruins, they found that it used to be an Arwing…who still had a pilot. Moving quickly, the trio scrambled to pull an anthropomorphic fox in a pilot's uniform out from the cockpit. The man-animal was unconscious, with numerous cuts all over his body.

"Fox…" Chris murmured.

"You know him?" Chun-Li asked.

Mario reached into his overalls and pulled out a 1Up Mushroom. Lifting Fox's chin carefully, the portly plumber pushed the green fungus into the canine's mouth. There was a brief sparkle of green and the wounds vanished. After a second, Fox MacCloud opened his eyes.

"Mario…" Fox murmured. Mario let go of Fox's head, allowing him to look at Chris. "And… You're Redfield, right? Nice to meet you."

Chris nodded. "Likewise."

"How do you two know each other?" Chun-Li asked. Mario nodded, wondering the same thing himself.

"Since the merger, my team and several others have been working together," Fox explained, "It hasn't been easy, mostly because the entire world's so screwed up, but we manage."

"What happened to your ship, MacCloud?" Chris asked, nodding at the wreck.

"Ugh, thanks for reminding me," Fox muttered, shaking his head. "I was tracking the airship that attacked Sim City and got shot down."

Mario was surprised to hear this; he didn't think Bowser's Airships had the firepower to take down an Arwing.

"It wasn't their cannons that got me," Fox explained, "It was…well, this guy."

"Guy?" Chun-Li and Chris asked, with Mario cocking his head.

"Big, muscular type," Fox went on, "Dressed in some kind of red army general's outfit. Last thing I saw in the air was him shooting out this huge purple laser from his hand."

Chun-Li gritted her teeth. "Bison…"

The men looked at her.

"M. Bison, the leader of Shadowloo," Chun-Li explained, "Those girls who were at the castle are his puppets. They're on Interpol black list. Especially that monster Bison…"

Mario, Fox, and Chris could tell from the edge in the Chinese lady's voice that she had something to say about Bison and Shadowloo. Something…personal.

"…Yeah," Fox said at last, "Well, before I got shot down, I managed to hack into their computers with a little gadget Slippy outfitted my ship with," Fox pulled out a small PDA from his vest pocket. "I got their flight plan and final destination."

Fox pulled up the file. After studying the image for a few minutes, Mario realized something. He reached into his pocket and unfolded the map he found at Peach's Castle. Sure enough, the X on the paper and one of the X's on the screen had identical coordinates.

"…Well, at least we know the map is legitimate," Chun-Li remarked when Mario showed them this.

"Where'd you guys get that, anyway?" Fox asked.

"Found it," Chris replied, looking off into the distance. "We should probably find some cover, and fast."

"Why?"

Chris pointed. "That."

Some distance away from where the heroes were, a large amount of strange looking creatures were heading towards them. Leading these monsters was an untransformed Nemesis T-Type.

Chun-Li looked around. Spotting a nearby jungle, she said, "Let's go there, now!"

"Hold on," Fox was at his Arwing. "I just need to activate the SOS beacon. With any luck, the _Great Fox _will home in on it and fix her up."

"You'll need more than that," Chun-Li said, and struck the ground next to the Arwing's crater. "_Kikoken!_"

The blast kicked up a lot of dirt, and when the dust cleared the Arwing was mostly buried under a pile of soil.

"Think that'll hide your ship without blocking the signal?" She asked.

Fox shrugged. "…That should do the trick."

"Good. Let's go!"

Stage 1: Into the Jungle

As the quartet of heroes ventured into the jungle, they found their path littered with abnormal enemies. These things looked like horrific mish-mashes of various monsters Mario had encountered and bioweapons Chris fought against. Zombies with giant turtle shells, giant snakes with Chain Chomp heads… Luckily, both Chris' and Fox's handhelds allowed them to clear the path of minor threats with ease. The only real trouble came in the form of the occasional relentless Nemesis. When one of those came lumbering at them, Mario and Chun-Li would have to move fast to bring it down, hammering powerful blows while at the same time keeping out of its grip, with Fox and Chris supporting from a distance. And aside from the time Fox accidentally shot Mario's hat off, this system seemed to work.

However, there were other problems. The jungle, as most jungles, had a plethora of dangerous elements. There were pitfalls, carnivorous plants, and self-contained storms, lightning included.

"Gah!" Fox cried, just narrowly avoiding a bolt of lightning that, conveniently enough, also incinerated a mutant. "Why is this happening?!"

"I've been asking that ever since the merger." Chun-Li responded.

They kept moving on, dodging whatever obstacles nature or the forces of evil had set in their way. As they moved, they discussed their next move.

"So we're just going to where X marks the spot?" Fox asked, "Seems kinda risky."

"We don't have much of a choice," Chris said, "Our organizations haven't gotten around to setting up a place to meet at yet. There's still a lot we don't know about this planet's geography. And we still need to figure out what Wesker and his new friends are doing."

"Hopefully we can get the information we need at the Airship's destination," Chun-Li said, kicking a mutant away. "Let's focus on that for now. Until we have the right intel, any plan we make will be just a matter of assumption."

Mario hoped they'd find out what they needed to know on the way. It would save a lot of time and trouble. As they journeyed further into the wood, Mario noticed a flagpole and pulled the flag up.

Stage 1 complete

As the four continued, they didn't notice the large figure zipping throughout the treetops. On the flip side, the big didn't notice and wouldn't have cared about the four heroes fighting monsters beneath him.

Donkey Kong was not enjoying his life in the composite world very much. First off, he had lost track of his banana horde. Second, he didn't know where any of his friends were. Even Cranky's endless complaining and cane-whacks would be nice to have again.

But the most important reason he wasn't enjoying himself were the people chasing him. DK didn't like being chased. _Chasing _was okay, but being chased was an entirely different matter. Mostly because Donkey Kong rarely encountered anything he had to run away from; Just one of the many advantages of being a 300-pound ape.

DK then stopped thinking about this, or anything as he fell over unconscious. There was a tranquilizer dart stuck firmly in his butt. The mini-clown copter hovered just away from where DK lay in the treetops. A Bison Doll hopped out and walked over to the big ape, followed by some Hammer Bros.. As she pulled out a large net, the dart gun she had fell out of its holster and down through the branches…

…And into an open air vent in the ground. The gun bounced freely off the walls of the shaft until it landed on the floor of an underground tunnel. An armored blue foot absent-mindedly kicked it away.

"Jeez…" murmured MegaMan Volnutt, stopping to look at his surroundings. "This ruin is huge…"

Stage 2: Circuit Shafts

MegaMan continued on his way further and further down the tunnel. His journeyed was hampered not just by traps and Reaverbots, but by the utter silence. Although it had happened a few times before, he just wasn't used to exploring a ruin without his foster-sister Roll acting as Spotter. Data was still with him…somewhere…

MegaMan was forced to abandon this train of thought when he almost got incinerated by a sudden pillar of flames shooting from the floor. After a moment of waiting, the flames ceased and MegaMan was able to continue on his way. He was fortunate that the traps so far were simplistic enough to get around, he knew that worst parts wasn't the fire, but the…nothingness. There were pits in his path, some so long that the only way across was to use smaller ledges as stepping stones in a river of nothingness. As a test, MegaMan had dropped a piece of scrap metal down one such pit, and was deeply disturbed when he didn't hear anything hit the floor…if there was one.

However, while the traps were easy enough to get around, there were still Reaverbots to contend with. The guardians of the ruins were always about, and whenever MegaMan came by they would descend on him like a plague. Luckily for him, the types of Reaverbots were limited to Zakobons and Fingerii. But while the Zakobon would rush MegaMan, the Fingerii perfered to fight at a distance with balls of energy. Destroying them was a bit tricky, but MegaMan was able to do it.

After several meters of dodging traps, bypassing pitfalls and destroying Reaverbots, MegaMan came upon the end of the tunnel. Before him was a closed door, and standing in front of door, doing his little hoping dance, was Data, MegaMan's pet robot monkey.

End Stage 1

"Hi, MegaMan!" Data greeted, never missing a step. "You sure took your time getting here, didn't you? I'm glad to see you're doing well! Oo-kiki!"

Chipper as ever, that was Data. But MegaMan was glad. How long had it been since they had been separated? A small tear welled up in MegaMan's eye. Too long.

"I'm glad too…Data," MegaMan murmured, bending down and giving his friend a pat.

"Well, don't get used to it," Data continued, "Behind this door is a really powerful Reaverbot! I've seen it take then Reaverbots the size of trucks!"

"Why?" He never heard of a Reaverbot attacking other Reaverbots.

"I'm not sure, but it was really brutal! It's resting right now, so my best advice is to blast it while its guard is down," Data suggested, "Here, let me recharge your energy."

There was a slight hum as MegaMan felt his body heal. After giving his fist an inquisitive clench, he went through the door.

He found himself entering a large room. Standing in the center was a tall, humanoid Reaverbot with dark orange armor. He could see that its right forearm was an arm cannon similar to his Mega Buster. And it was aimed at a Servbot!

"No…no!" the Servbot wailed, tears pouring from his eyes. "Please, let me go, Miss Aran!"

MegaMan didn't know why there was a Servbot in the ruins. Maybe it had gotten lost from the rest of the Bonnes. But he knew he couldn't allow it to be left in danger.

"Hey!" MegaMan yelled. The 'Miss Aran' turned away, allowing the Servbot a chance to flee.

_MegaMan Volnutt vs Samus Aran_

Taking Data's advice, MegaMan let loose with a volley of blasts from his Mega Buster. To dodge it, Aran did something quite unexpected; it curled up into a little ball (About 1/4th of her size) and rolled away. MegaMan tried to hit it, but the Aran was just too fast and nimble to be hit. It went around the room before heading towards MegaMan, zigging and sagging between his shots. MegaMan realized what was going to happen and jumped away just in time to avoid being hit when Aran shot upward spinning.

_Now's my chance!_ MegaMan thought, and fired another stream of energy, this time hitting. Aran resumed its humanoid configuration and fell to the ground. Not wanting to lose his chance, MegaMan activated his jet skates and zoomed towards Aran, changing his special weapon arm to the Drill. MegaMan prepared to strike, but at the last minute Aran rolled away again, this time leaving a few small bombs in its place.

BOOM-BA-BA-BOOM!

This time it was MegaMan's turn to go flying. And as he fell, he just barely saw that Aran had its arm cannon out and charging. By the time he hit the floor the ball of energy was the size of a beach ball.

It fired.

BLAM!

And it hit.

_End Battle_

When MegaMan woke up, he was lying flat on his back with the Aran standing over him, arm cannon pointed directly at his chest. There was a tense two minutes of silence.

Then, the Aran cocked its head. It tapped the side of its head a few times before snapping its fingers. That was when something even more shocking- It took its head off! A mass of blond hair fell out as the Aran revealed its human head.

"I hate it when the speaker breaks on me." The woman commented.

"You're…a person?!" MegaMan asked, stunned.

"Yes," She replied coolly, "Samus Aran, bounty hunter. And now you can explain who you are and why you attacked."

"I…you..that is…" MegaMan looked over and saw Data coming up. "Data! You said she was a Reaverbot!"

"I thought she was, honest!" Data insisted, doing his hopping dance. "I kept getting an inhuman reading from her, I swear! Oo-kiki!"

"A scanning error? I guess that explains it," Samus mused, "Considering…"

"What?" MegaMan asked.

Samus shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important. Anyway, I can't mess around with you all day. I need to track down the pirates' central headquarters."

"Pirates?" _So Tron _is _here!_ MegaMan thought, and said, "Maybe I can help you with that…"

Samus raised an eyebrow.

**ELSEWHERE**

In an underground area a bit deeper but more to the left of where MegaMan and Samus were, a train was blasting down an ancient railroad. Clinging to the roof of the caboose was none other than Haggar and Ness. (Remember them?)

In Sim City they had discovered the subway the Servbots used to sneak in and esacpe with their stolen goods. Stowing away, they planned to follow the Servbots back to their hideout and put the kibosh on their looting for good.

Haggar was thankful that they hadn't been discovered yet. While the Servbots weren't anything in the combat department, he didn't think it would be a good idea to start a brawl on a locomotive in motion.

Ness was thankful that the tunnel ceiling wasn't lower. In fact, it seemed like there was enough room to stand up!

They heard a Servbot speaking over a loudspeaker of sorts. It was hard to hear on the outside, but they were able to make out, "We are now entering the outer ruins! Please prepare for anti-Reaverbot measures!"

"What's a Reaverbot?" Haggar asked. Ness just shrugged, clueless.

The two got their answer when several Zakobon fell down from the ceiling onto the train.

Stage 2: Underground Railroad (All aboard the Serbot Express!)

What followed was one continuous battle atop the Servbot Express, as Ness and Haggar tossed and knocked off as many Reaverbots as they could. It was a simple matter at first, what with Zakobon's being one of the most basic and weakest Reaverbot, but things soon escalated. The type of Reaverbots attacking changed from Zakobon to Frongel, which meant Ness and Haggar had to be more careful. Unlike the stumbling Zakobon, the Frongel could jump high, making getting to one a chore. Ness' psy attacks made the matter easier, but he still had to watch out. Haggar found clothes lining one easier when they were in aerial motion, due to the relative size different. Sometimes a flying type of Reaverbot called Foo-Foo came about, and their small size were almost impossible to deal with.

Of course, there was also the 'measures' the Servbots themselves used to attack the Reaverbots. Panels alongside of the train would open up, revealing missile launchers. This meant that not only did Ness and Haggar have to deal with the Reaverbots, but they also had to make sure they caught in the missiles' line of fire!

This three-way train-top battle went on for some time. Ness and Haggar did their best, using PK Fire and tossed Reaverbots to intercept the missiles. Eventually, both the rain of Reaverbots and ballistics calmed down.

End Stage

As the train continued along the tracks, Ness and Haggar fell back onto its roof. As they rested, another Servbot's voice could be heard (Just barely) on the train's PA system;

"We now leaving the Reaverbot area! Now approaching our base's station…"

**BACK WHERE WE LEFT OFF**

MegaMan Volnutt and Samus Aran walked along the corridor together. They eventually came upon another door at the end, and as usual, Data was there, doing his little dance.

"How did he get here before us?" Samus asked, "We left him behind in the last room."

"I don't know, he just does that…" MegaMan sighed.

"Oo-kiki! There's a really powerful Reaverbot behind this door!" Data exclaimed, "And this time it really _is _a Reaverbot, I double-checked!"

"Do you have any intel on its functions?" Samus asked.

"It's AI is damaged, so it can't focus on more than one target," Data answered, "My advice is to fight separately!"

"Will do," MegaMan nodded, and looked at Samus. "Well, here we go!"

Entering the door, they found themselves in a room very similar to the one they first met in. Then the ground began to shake, and out for the shadows came an immense, humanoid, hunched-over Reaverbot. The thing stood over Samus and MegaMan for a moment before lifting one of its massive arms. The duo jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the crushed by its blow.

_Boss Battle: Giwan_

Samus and MegaMan both circled around it. Although they were able to avoid its attacks, each time it hit the floor its fist created shockwaves, which meant the bounty hunter and the digger had to keep moving to avoid being tossed around by tremors. They fired at Giwan whenever they could, but none of their shots seemed to slow it down.

_I've fought one of these before, _MegaMan thought, _Is there a faster way to take it down?_ Then he spied the pink spike jutting out from Giwan's hindquarters. _That's right! It's weak spot!_

MegaMan changed his arm to the Powered Buster and fired off a round. However, before it could hit the pink spike, Giwan spun around, flailing its arms. The shot was easily deflected, and now Giwan was focused on attacking MegaMan. However, before it could get near the digger, Samus rolled by in her ball form, leaving behind a couple of bombs for it to step on. The sound of the explosions echoed off the walls of the chamber, but didn't seem to do any obvious damage.

"Doesn't anything slow this thing down?" Samus grumbled as she unrolled herself.

"The pink spike at the rear!" MegaMan shouted, "It'll lose power quicker if you hit it!"

"Is that what you aiming at before?" Samus asked, "Looks like it knows how to protect that spot."

And it did. No matter what Samus or MegaMan did, Giwan make sure its pink spike was untouched. The two had no choice but to keep moving about and shooting, hoping to wear it down. While it was a strategy neither were unfamiliar with, Giwan didn't seem affected by their weapons, and its tireless assault was starting to take its toll on the pair.

_Neither the kid or I are going to last much longer at this rate, _Samus thought, and began input a certain command into his arm cannon. _I'm gonna have to unload the big guns…hope I won't need the Power Suit for a while!_ "MegaMan!" She shouted, "Keep the robot's attention for about one minute while I charge up the Zero Cannon!"

"R-right!" MegaMan replied, jumping and barely dodging another ground-shaking punch. Changing his special weapon to the Blade Arm, MegaMan slashed a few times at the arm. He didn't move fast enough to avoid being knocked back, and went flying. As MegaMan bounced off of the floor, Samus charged at Giwan, her arm cannon glowing ominously.

_I need to fire it at point blank, or it might dodge! _She thought, sweating in spite of her suit cooling function.

The Giwan saw Samus coming and raised its arms. At the same time, Samus raised her arm cannon and fired.

_**FUUUWAAAAAASSHH**_

What came out from the arm cannon's barrel wasn't so much a laser as MegaMan recognized it but a giant pillar of light, almost dwarfing the Reaverbot in width. And the force was so great that it melted through the otherwise invulnerable walls of the ruin. When the attack ended, only Giwan's legs were left, clattering to the ground.

"That was incredible, Sam- Samus?" MegaMan's amazement turned to worry as he saw Samus' power suit sparking. The bounty hunter herself was on one knee.

"Don't worry," Samus said, "Using Zero Laser overloads the power suit's frame…it'll take a while for it to cool down."

"But…"

The power suit fell off of Samus in pieces, and the woman stood up. MegaMan's jaw dropped.

_Whoa…she's beautiful… _He thought.

"It'll take time, but once it cools down I'll be able to restore the power suit," Samus explained, tying her hair into a ponytail. "Until then, I'll have to depend on the Zero Suit and my Paralyzer."

"Your what?" MegaMan asked, trying not to stare.

"My gun." Samus reached down into the power suit's pieces and pulled it out. After gathering up the suit's parts, she cocked the Paralyzer turned to the room's door. "Let's get moving. We've dawdled here long enough."

MegaMan snapped to attention. "Right!"

_End Level 5_


	41. Adventure Mode: Level 6

_Level 6: the Underworld_

Falling. Pit felt the wind rush past his body as he plummeted from the Airship. He wasn't sure how long it had been since that human had beaten him.

Human… _Was _that person human? The power he had used was so abnormal…not demonic, but unsettling. Just thinking about it made his flesh crawl.

Pit tried to force himself out of the darkness he was stuck in. He put every ounce of will power he had into making his body move. But he remained numb. Even his wings (Normally useless, to his regret) refused to flap. Somewhere in his mind, Pit began to panic. He knew he couldn't keep falling forever…

_I wonder why I haven't hit the ground yet? _Pit thought, _I've been falling long enough…_

**THUMP**

When Pit returned to consciousness, he found that he was now sitting waist-deep in a pool of water; A pool that had a warm glow about it.

_A hot spring? No way! I can't believe I landed in one! What a coincidence! _Pit thought happily. Looking around, the angel saw that he was now in some kind of underground cavern. _Where am I? How hard did I hit the ground?_

"Feeling better?"

Pit felt his spine tingle. That was a woman's voice, and not just any woman. That was the dulcet tones of someone who could make "Good morning" sound like an invitation to bed.

"Uh, yes, thank you," Pit said, looking around. Out of the corner of his eye he saw some green locks. He turned to get a better look, and then turned away with his eyes shut and cheeks red. "_Geh!_"

"Oh, it's all right, you can look," the green haired beauty purred, kicking her bare leg up. "I'm not ashamed of my body," She then did a playful pout. "Or are you saying it's not nice to look at?"

"No, you have a very nice body…" Pit began, and realized what he just said. "Just so you know, that wasn't supposed to come out as dirty."

"That's too bad," She raised herself out of the water, but only enough so that her breasts weren't completely uncovered. "But I must say, you've got a pretty sexy body yourself for a child."

"Hey, I'm not a little kid!" Pit turned around, went red, and turned away. "I happen to be an angel. I'm probably older than you are!"

"Ooh, that's _wonderful_," The woman cooed, lowering herself until only her head was above the water surface. "I _love _older men."

Pit felt water ripples and heard the sound of something moving through the water. Panicking, he pulled himself out of the hot spring and shook himself dry.

"Scaredy-cat," The bathing beauty sniffed, "I wasn't going to do anything."

"Nothing?" Pit asked, looking around. The cavern they were in seemed to have no exits. It did have plenty of stalagmites, and several torches providing illumination.

"Nothing…" Her voice took on a mischievous tone, "…_Permanent._"

_Gotta change the subject, gottachangethesubject!_ Pit thought frantically, and asked, "How did I get here? Did you bring me down this spring?"

"No, you came here yourself," The woman replied, shrugging. "You just fell through the ceiling there."

Pit turned and looked up, and saw that there was a hole in the rocky ceiling; a snow angel-shaped hole. "Whoa…" _So I really _did _fall in here? Unbelievable…how deep am I?_

"You know, you're cute but rude," She commented, "Talking this long to a lady without asking her name… Are you really an angel?"

"Oh! Sorry, forgot my manners," Pit turned around, turned red, and turned away. Striking a pose, he said, "I am Pit, servant of the Goddess Paluneta! And who might you be?"

"I am Morrigan, of the house Aensland," The woman replied, "So, you serve a goddess, do you?"

"That's right," Pit said exuberantly, pumping his arm. Then he remembered something. "Oh, yeah, I'm on a quest for her right now…do you know which way is out?"

"Aw, do you have to go right now?" Morrigan asked, rising out from the water. "We're just starting to get to know each other."

"Y-yeah, it's pretty important," Pit said, his cheeks turning a faint pink. "Fate of the world stuff, you know."

"Well, if you _must _leave… There's a tunnel third stalagmite to the left," Morrigan somehow got directly behind Pit, cupper her hand around his chin, and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Don't forget about me."

The angel staggered forward, his face taking a shade similar to tomatoes. Rubbing where she kissed, Pit said, "Ah, well, uh, thanks. Nice meeting you!"

And with that, Pit bid a hasty retreat, tripping over a few stray rocks. Once he was well out of the hot spring's cavern, bats began to swarm around Morrigan's bare body. Within seconds they faded away, and Morrigan was clad in a black and light-purple skin-tight leotard that stopped at the chest, along withhigh boots. From her back protruded two large bat wings. From her head, two smaller bat wings.

"'Fate of the world stuff', hmm…?" Morrigan's eyes shined with anticipation. "Sounds fun."

Stage 1: Inferno Caverns

Thankfully, there seemed to be a severe shortage of monsters in the caves Pit ventured through. Unfortunately, this meant that there was nothing to distract the angel from the sheer fury that was his surroundings.

Fire pits and rivers of molten…something _purple_ were everywhere. Geysers that spat yellow fumes pocketed the walls. Pit had to literally watch his step, as even the strongest-looking rocks could sink into the ground, which quickly became lava.

_What is this place?! _Pit thought, bouncing on his toes as he avoided by hit by a blast of yellow gas. _It's like being in the Underworld again! Oh man…the _Underworld! _Don't tell me I got here again!_

Pit had a feeling that if he could talk to Palutena, she would make a witty remark on how he always seemed to end up in the Underworld.

_Okay, just stay calm, Pit, _the angel thought to himself, _You just need to keep going up. Stay cool, be alert, and don't get caught in any natural traps…_

It was then that the, a geyser blasted the floor Pit walking on up, flattening him against the ceiling. After a minute, he peeled off and wafted down to the floor, just narrowly avoiding a second flattening.

…_Like that. _He thought, moaning.

After that, Pit was a bit more cautious moving around the caverns. There were other 'geyser-platforms' around, but Pit could figure out where they were from the small amount of steam that seeped from the cracks. He continued on, while still getting a few scraps and bumps, but nonetheless unharmed.

But soon he found a new threat to deal with; Bats!

"Gah!" Pit cried, ducking to avoid a few bats that flew his way. "Why is it that you always find bats underground?!"

Pit imagined that if Palutena was around, she would remark on how it was more a case of aesthetics than nature. He then strengthened his resolve to get out before he started losing his mind from isolation.

Pit attempted to shoo the bats away with his bow. When they kept coming, he tried to shoot some light arrows at them, but kept missing. He was more successful when he split his bow into dual-blades, slicing the bats into nothing.

_Weird how they just vanished…_ Pit thought, _Were they some kind of Underworld monster?_

Eventually, Pit found a doorway- surprisingly clean and elegant for something underground!- and discovered a staircase going up.

Stage 2: Complete!

As Pit went up, he didn't notice that the bats he encountered were now swirling together into a small tornado of leathery wings. They then became Morrigan.

"Hm hm hm…" She hummed, "What a cute little angel…"

Morrigan became a cloud of bats and flew after Pit.

**HIGHER UP**

There were more than angels and demons lurking in the Underworld. Zero and Link were also around, in a foreboding set of caverns that reeked of gloom, bile, and inedible fungus. The path they followed from Agnus' lair had led them to this place, and had since split into a series of spiraling underground roads and tunnels, some over dark, ominous pitfalls. Now it was a matter of finding a way out.

_Wish we had a map_. Zero thought.

Link was also apprehensive of his surroundings. Even using the Master Sword's dousing abilities was useless when he was this deep.

Just then, they heard a commotion. The sound of some kind of metal clanging. The two exchanged looks and went off to investigate. They soon found a small man clad in armor fighting off several zombies and a large snake with a lance. He had a short, red beard and a look of unstoppable determination. Zero recognized him instantly.

"Arthur! Zero would never forget the plucky knight in shining- though slightly unstable- armor from the last 'merged worlds' incident. There was something about a short man clad in just boxer shorts that stuck to the mind unless a vast amount of alcohol was consumed.

Link on the other hand, recognized that the little knight was outnumbered. Taking out his bow, Link fired a volley of arrows that gave Arthur the edge he needed to prevail.

"Ah, well done, man!" Arthur applauded once he finished the zombies off. However, he had forgotten the snake, and would have lost his upper half had Zero not move in with his Z-Saber. "Zero?"

"Arthur, what are you doing here?" Zero asked, holstering his sword.

"Ah, 'tis a tale that even I do not know, friend," Arthur sighed, "I was taking a nap 'neath a tree when I felt the soil below shift- and 'fore I was ready, I found myself tumbling down a hole. Luckily, I landed on something soft," Arthur's expression then went blank, suggesting to Zero and Link that 'landing on something soft' wasn't _quite_ that lucky. He continued, "Once I had my bearings, I set out to return to the surface, when I was ambushed by those blackguards. And what of you, Zero? What were you doing here?

"We got lost," Zero sighed, "If you know a way out, it'd be appreciated."

"I cannot say for certain, there is a chance," Arthur replied, "I have been listening to the wind, hoping to follow it to the outer world."

Link nodded. That sounded as good a strategy as ever. He put away his bow and approached the knight and reploid. Arthur regarded the hero thoughtfully.

"Arthur, this is Link," Zero introduced, "Link, Arthur."

The two shook hands. "A pleasure to meet another of such fine, moral character!" Arthur declared, "Come, let us be rid of this foul place!"

It was at that moment that a drop of water fell from above. It hit Arthur, causing his armor to fall off. Link stared while Zero covered his eyes.

"Erm, yes…" Arthur cleared his throat, "Some assistance would be appreciated."

Stage 2: Abyss Canyon

After putting Arthur's armor back together, the trio of heroes set out. The road ahead of them wasn't a very straight forward. More specifically, the entire area was a gigantic pit with massive pillars sticking out at numerous spots. This meant that the three of them had to hop from pillar to pillar to get across. And while Zero and Arthur were able to easily maneuver, Link had difficulties. He just wasn't used to hopping around so much.

Arthur noticed that Link was hesitating at several points.

"Are you all right, man?" He called out, "You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

Link shook his head. Taking out his hookshot, he took aim and fired at some moss on a pillar some ways ahead, pulling himself across the gap as the chain retracted.

Arthur had to admit. He was impressed.

But the journey across was not a walk in the park, strictly speaking. On some platforms, monsters would appear. Fighting off these creatures was a chore, as not only did the three have to worry about claws or fangs, but they also had to take care not to fall into the abyss below. Arthur, Zero, and Link had to move carefully, but were able to prevail.

After about a mile of this, they came upon the edge of the other side. Unfortunately, there was a large pile of rocks in the way. With Link's bow, Zero's buster, and Arthur's lances, they set about to taking the makeshift wall down. Their efforts were hindered by attacking bats, which were easily dealt with. After destroying the obstacle, they leapt to the other side and continued on their way.

Stage 2: End

**BACK WITH PIT**

"This place is a maze…" Pit gasped as he jogged down tunnel after tunnel, "Which way is the exit?"

Pit stopped to catch his breath. As he did, he felt a strange sensation. His hair was starting to stand on end, and there was a chill coming up his back. The feeling grew stronger and weaker depending on which path he chose, so Pit decided to go wherever made the feeling increase. He wasn't why, maybe he was so lost that he needed some kind of direction to follow.

Soon he came upon a large cavern. And sitting in the middle of it was one of the balls Palutena asked for!

"Is that…" Pit asked, and pumped his arm. "Yes, it is! This quest is starting to go places!"

"Yes…" A dark voice said, "_Down_."

Pit froze and readied his bow. Out from the shadows came a large figure, clad in black armor. His skin was an inhuman dark shade, and his hair a deep red.

"Ganondorf!" Pit cried, "What are _you _doing here!?"

"I've been trapped in this insipid hole since the merger, angel," The sorcerer growled, but he smiled evilly. "But, now I think have the means of escaping this prison."

"You have? What is…" Pit trailed off as his eyes drifted to what Ganondorf was looking at; the ball. "No, you can't have it! Lady Palutena has instructed me to collect those balls!"

"Ahh, so there are more than one…" Ganondorf's eyes gleamed with cruel intent, "And they must be powerful if a _Goddess _wants them."

"Forget it, pig-face!" Pit yelled, charging. "There's no way I'm letting escape the Underworld!"

Ganondorf's fist glowed, and he punched. A ball of purple fire shot out and caught Pit in the chest, sending the angel flying into a wall. The cavern shook slightly from the impact, and bits of rock fell from the ceiling.

"Don't forget your place, messenger boy," Ganondorf said, holding up his fist. On it was a glowing Triforce mark. "Remember, I am empowered with the strength of the old Gods. A pitiful angel such as you could not hope to prevail against me."

"Then what about _me?_" A sultry voice purred. There was a swarm of bats and a flash of light, and Morrigan appeared in the room.

"You!" Pit gasped.

"A demon…" Ganondorf murmured.

"A demon?" Pit asked, confused. Then he looked a Morrigan in shock. "You're a demon!?"

Morrigan gave Pit a smirk. "If you bothered to look at me, you would have figured it out yourself."

"Yeah…the bat wings from your back and head are a bit of a giveaway," Pit remarked, "Wait, head wings? Do they help you fly?"

"Well, they're mostly for show, actually." Morrigan admitted as her 'head wings' flapped.

"Why are you here, woman?" Ganondorf asked, interrupting the dialogue.

"Oh, no reason," Morrigan replied, "I was bored, and then that cute little angel just came crashing into my life. He seemed amusing, so I'd thought I'd follow. Then you two started all of that ball talk and now…" Her eyes glinted. "…I'm _intrigued_."

Ganondorf smirked. "I advise you not to interfere, demoness."

"Unfortunately, I _love _interfering," Morrigan shot back, floating forward. "It's the perfect cure for boredom. And I also have a…thing…for the little guy-" ("I'm not little!" Pit shouted) "-I think I'll be fighting for him."

Ganondorf's smile dropped, and his hands began to glow. "That will be a mistake. Prepare yourself to experience my godly power…!"

Morrigan's eyes shined with anticipation. "Sounds fun."

"Wait! Hold on!" Pit cried. He was ignored, so he tried to get up, but found his legs paralyzed. _I…I can't move! Ganondorf did something to me!_

_Ganondorf vs Morrigan_

Ganondorf moved to strike Morrigan with his Warlock Punch, but the demoness simply swung around him. She used her momentum to swing her leg up and catch the warlock in the jaw with a kick. Ganondorf was knocked back slightly, but recovered quickly and grabbed Morrigan's arms. Her body crackled as he poured his dark power into her, blasting her away.

"Aah!" Morrigan gasped, her lips curving upward.

"What a blast!" Pit gasped, and narrowed his eyes. "Wait, are you smiling? Did you _like _that?!"

"_Such _power…" Morrigan said, wiping her mouth. "Pity it's connected to such a dreary soul…"

Morrigan and Ganondorf charged at each other, both their hands glowing. Morrigan stopped just short of getting within arm's reach and fired a ball of her own demonic power at Ganondorf. "_Soul Fist!_"

The ball struck him dead on, stunning the thief-lord. Morrigan took this moment to move forward, and her wings suddenly became multiple tentacles with arrowheads, reaching out towards Ganondorf. But Ganondorf wasn't stunned for long, and swept his leg out, the limb emitting a foul dark fire. The blow caught Morrigan in the stomach, but instead of being knocked away, the demoness took hold of the leg and used the momentum to throw Ganondorf into one of the cavern walls. Ganondorf simply got up and strode back to Morrigan, his eyes full of blood.

Safe on the sidelines, Pit could only watch, one eye full of amazement, the other filled with fear. He was amazed to see someone not just fighting Ganondorf, but taking his blows head-on. However, he was fearful over what would happen next. Morrigan _claimed _to be helping him, but could a demon really be trusted to keep their word? And what would stop her from taking the ball for herself.

_I just hope the feeling comes back to my legs before the fight is over… _Pit thought, willing said limbs to reenergize.

Meanwhile, Ganondorf gave Morrigan and magic-enhanced uppercut that sent her flying up at the ceiling. But Morrigan, instead of crashing into it, kicked off against the rock and shot back down. Her wings became a drill around her legs, striking Ganondorf directly in the chest. The warlock went down and didn't get up.

_End Battle_

Morrigan's wings resumed their normal form. She adjusted her hair and commented, "Well…that was a lark."

Pit stared. "W…wow…"

This slip of tongue called Morrigan's attention. She strode towards the angel and picked him up. Cradling him in her arms, the demoness stared intently into Pit's eyes, her own full of mischief.

Pit found this incredibly unsettling. "Uh..thanks?"

"Oh, you don't have to say thanks," Morrigan said, "In this situation, what you have to say is, 'My hero', and…_gimme some sugar._"

"Wha-wha-WHAAAT!?" Pit gasped, "You want to kiss?! _Why?!_"

"I've never kissed an angel," Morrigan replied, "I wonder what one tastes like."

"But…you _did _kiss me!" Pit protested, trying to wriggle out of the demoness' grip. However, the tendrils from her back wrapped around him and pressed his body against hers.

"Oh, that? That was nothing," Morrigan shrugged. She looked at Pit with eyes gleaming. "You know what they say, 'A peach is a peach, and a plum is a plum, but a kiss isn't a kiss…_without some tongue_.'"

Morrigan closed in, her lips pursing. The angel captain found himself freezing up as the moment approached, but just before contact was made, an inhuman roar shook the cavern. The two stopped and looked towards Ganondorf. The warlock was writhing on the ground, making guttural noises from the back of his throat. He sat up, and they saw that his eyes had started to glow…or rather, it seemed like light was pouring out like tears.

"Such power…" Morrigan murmured, and looked back at Pit. "Don't tell me, he's going to transform."

Pit nodded glumly. "Is is that obvious?"

It was. Ganondorf's body was bulging and pulsing in different locations, as if he was a balloon that was being inexpertly inflated. Ganondorf clenched his fist, and a glowing Triforce mark appeared on it. The cavern began to shake, and bits and pieces of the ceiling came down.

"Time to go." Morrigan decided, "Can you walk now?"

"Yeah…my leg feels better," Pit answered, and was let down. After taking a moment to work out some stiffness, a rock fell on his head. "Ouch!"

Ganondorf, meanwhile, was standing up. With his Triforce-marked fist, he punched at the ceiling, blasting a gigantic tunnel into it. This, however, caused the rest of the cavern to cave in on itself.

"That's our way out." Morrigan declared, and rose into the air.

"Wait…the ball!" Pit realized, and ran towards it. Dodging the larger chunks of rock raining down, he snagged it off its pedestal. With that in hand, he headed back towards the tunnel. Even though the Wings of Pegasus had not re-powered, there were plenty of large shards of rock sticking out of the tunnel rock to use as footholds.

Stage 3: Step Stones To Escape

Pit flapped his wings as hard as he could, jumping from one platform to another. As he went further up, he became aware that there was a terrible, purple and black fire following from below. Even from a distance, the heat made his sandals sizzle.

"Oh man, talk about having a hot foot!" Pit gasped as he hopped forward and up.

As Pit continued up, he soon caught up with Morrigan, who was lazily lounging on a condensed swarm of bats.

"Taking your time, aren't we?" She asked, casually adjusting her top.

Pit was thankfully too focused on his escape to notice her actions. "I'm going as fast as I can!"

"Don't get me wrong," Morrigan continued as if Pit hadn't spoken. She pulled as tiny pebble from her bosom. "I can understand the need to keep your legs toned, but why don't you use your wings? That's what they're there for, aren't they?"

"My wings, uh, yeah," Pit paused to dodge a falling chunk of rock, "They've, erm, never been my strong point, see…"

Morrigan stared at him. "…You're kidding. You can't fly?"

"Hey, I've flown!" Pit yelled defensively, "…Just, you know, under…circumstances."

"An angel that can't fly…" morrigan sighed, "You're like a baby bird that fell out its nest, aren't you?"

"Hey, I am _not _a baby!" Pit shot back, leaping. He noticed that the distance between steps was increasing.

"Oh, is that right? How silly of me to say otherwise, then." Morrigan sighed, throwing her hair back and her chest forward. She looked down and saw that the foul flames were getting closer.

The bats swirled around Morrigan's back becoming her wings. Floating over towards Pit, she took hold of the angel and pressed him close.

"Hey, what are you- UMPH!" Pit soon found his speech impeded by Morrigan's breasts.

"Leave this to me." The demoness said simply and her wings transformed into a rocket booster.

With angel in hand (Or on chest), she blasted upwards, putting distance between the two of them and the fire. She still had to dodge rocks sticking out of the tunnel wall and falling from above though she was agile enough to do it. It wasn't long before they reached the top and left the tunnel.

Stage 3: Complete

With her wings reforming, Morrigan let Pit down. As Pit gasped for air, the demoness checked his face.

"Hmm, face red, but no nosebleed…" Morrigan murmured, "I guess you _are _an angel."

"You almost suffocated me!" Pit said at last.

"All I did was carry you out of sudden death," Morrigan replied dismissively, "Don't I get a 'thank you'? After all, that's _twice_ I've helped out when I didn't have to."

As his heart-rate slowed, Pit calmed down. "Yeah…you're right. Thank you."

"Good," Morrigan grabbed Pit and pulled him close. "Now, back where we left off…"

"GAH!"

They were (Thankfully, on Pit's part) interrupted by a giant mass of purple-black flames exploding from the pit behind them.

"Oh, what now?" Morrigan grumbled as she and Pit looked.

A monstrous hand clawed at the edge of the pit from the fire. Once it had gotten a firm grip on a nearby stalagmite, the beast connected to the hand pulled itself out from the pit.

It was at least four times the size of Morrigan (Small wonder it didn't hit its head on the ceiling!), and clad in armor. Its head was pig-like, but there was a glint in its eyes that was familiar. From its legs weren't feet, but massive hooves. In its other hand was a trident, made from a bone-white material. Its fur was a poisonous blue.

"I've…I never thought I'd see this form for myself…" Pit whispered, gaping.

"Our friend from before has had a make-over, I see," Morrigan remarked neutrally. She set Pit down. "Care to explain what's going on?"

Pit nodded. "Right. See, whenever the Triforce's power starts to overwhelm Ganondorf-"

"Tri-_what_?"

"It's an object created by the old Gods of his world," Pit explained, "Anyway, he's got a piece of it, and when he loses control, he turns into…that."

As great beast lumbered towards them, Morrigan pursed her lips thoughtfully. The power that had been erratically bursting from Ganondorf had stabilized, if one used the term loosely. It had coated Ganondorf's body like a gel, coagulating and becoming a form of armor. At least that's how she would have defined it.

"Hmph, pity," She said at last, "He wasn't that bad-looking before."

Ganon thrust his trident forward. "_**GIVE ME THE POWER…"**_

_Boss Battle: Ganon – King Of Evil_

Ganon swung his trident across, sending out three balls of blue fire at the angel and demoness. They both dodged, and retaliated with a flurry of light arrows and Soul Fists. Ganon's large body made for an easy target, but the attacks seemed to have done little damage. The beast roared angrily and stabbed the ground with his trident, sending out a shockwave at Pit and Morrigan. The two took to the air to avoid the quake, but were quickly knocked down by falling stalactites, which broke from the ceiling. Ganon then sent out flaming bats from his trident. Some usage of arrow-blades and demon-tendrils brought that threat to an end quickly. Ganon unleashed more fireballs.

"Geh! He's not letting up!" Pit remarked.

"He's rushing the battle," Morrigan realized, "Tell me, how long can he stay that way?"

"I dunno! Most heroes just try to slay him as quickly as possible!" Pit answered.

"No reason to break tradition, then!" Morrigan decided, and shot towards Ganon.

The King of Evil thrust his trident down at the demoness, but Morrigan dodged it unleashed a plethora of blows; even her hair stabbed at him. Ganon raised his unused fist, preparing to crush the aristocrat. Before he could, however, Pit fired a light arrow and struck him in the eye. Ganon reared back in pain, bellowing.

"Huh, so his eyes are vulnerable. Makes sense." Pit commented, rushing forward.

Both angel and demon hammered blows into Ganon. The Evil King swept them aside with his trident, knocking them into the cave wall. As the two pulled themselves to their feet, Ganon raised the trident, its head glowing. Pit suddenly realized what was happening and jumped in front of Morrigan. He brought out the Mirror Shield and held it up in defense. Ganon swung the trident down, shooting out a ball of crackling power, colored gold and black, at the two Pit braced himself as shield and power ball met.

_**THWANG!**_

The entire cavern shook from the recoil. Morrigan took the moment to leap out from behind Pit and rushed at Ganon. She turned her wings into jets to increase speed, and managed to catch Ganon off-guard. Taking the Evil King's back, she swung her arms around him and pulled him into the air. Morrigan put Ganon in a pile driver that would have made Mike Haggar green with envy. Pit, having shaken off the force of power ball's impact, rushed up and slashed at Ganon several time with his dual blades, kicking the trident out of the monster's hand. Morrigan, seeing it clatter on the ground, had an idea. She let go of Ganon and went to it. Once the trident was in her hand, she threw it as hard as she could at Ganon. The beast caught it with one hand.

"_Morrigan!_" Pit whined, "I just got _rid _of that!"

Morrigan winced and smiled sheepishly. "Oops."

Ganon started unleashing fireballs again, putting Pit and Morrigan on the defensive. The two were forced to fight at a distance, firing light arrows and Soul Fists respectively.

"_**YOU'RE EFFORTS ARE FUTILE,**_" Ganon boomed, "_**NOW, BARE WITNESS TO MY POWER OVER DARKNESS!**_"

And with that, shadows engulfed the entire cavern.

"Wait, that's it?" Pit asked, "All you did was turn the lights off!"

"I'm not impressed." Morrigan sniffed.

The room began to shake, and then Morrigan was knocked aside, followed shortly by Pit.

"Uhh!" Pit groaned as he hit the wall, "He moves fast for a big guy…"

Morrigan stood up, arching her back to work out the pain. Though Pit couldn't see it, there was a glint of malice in her eyes.

"I hope he enjoyed that," She said, smiling mirthlessly. "It's not going to happen again."

The floor began to shake again as Ganon charged. This time, Morrigan swung her leg around, and managed to strike Ganon directly in the face. The Evil King roared at being hit, and grabbed Morrigan.

_I can't let Morrigan fight Ganon all by himself, _Pit thought, and prepared his bow. _It's risky, but I'm gonna have to shoot in the dark!_

With only the sound of Ganon's fury to go by, Pit pointed his bow with light arrow glowing. After a few moments of hesitation, he yelled, "MORRIGAN, DUCK!" and fired.

The arrow impacted on Ganon's forehead, just narrowly missing Morrigan's head-wings. The King of Evil shrieked and roared, and light returned to the room. Ganon stumbled a pace, before falling on his back.

The trident fell from Ganon's hand and clattered to the ground. Then, his body dissolved. Pit and Morrigan looked over where Ganon used to be.

"So…he disintergrated?" Morrigan asked.

"Works for me." Pit shrugged. He looked around. "I think I feel a breeze…that must be the way out!"

"Lead on." Morrigan said, a mischieveous look in her eyes.

As Pit and Morrigan left, neither one of them noticed the shadowy figure watching them from behind a large stalagmite. The only part visible were the eyes, narrowing as they followed the pair's movements.

"Oh, by the way. Thanks for the save, Pit."

"Oh, don't mention it. You know us angels, always saving people!"

"And of course you know what happens between the savior and savee, don't you?"

"What happens? What are you- Mmph!"

"Mmmwah! I believe that settles things."

"Gah… Ah…"

"Oh, don't look so shocked. I didn't even use my tongue!"

The watcher did nothing as their voices began to fade in the distance. Then, it went forward.

_Level 6 end_

A/N: For what it's worth, I'm not sure if Morrigan is interested in Pit, or just wants to mess with him. But I am sure that he's older than Morrigan! (_Kid Icarus _came out in 1987, while _Darkstalkers _came out in 1994.)


	42. Adventure Mode: Level 7

_Level 7: Tricell Mixed Branch_

Since their escape from the Airship, MegaMan, Princess Peach, Rush, and Toad had worked their way down from the skies. Using Peach's parasol as a make-shift parachute, they floated down into a giant factory complex. By the time they landed, a storm had begun. With the lightning and thunder, the entire place looked like something out of a slasher movie. It wasn't the most appealing of shelters, but both princess and robot felt like following the old adage, 'Any port in a storm.' They went in through the front doors.

That was their first mistake.

**MAIN OFFICE**

Albert Wesker was not in the best of moods. He had recently been in contact with Bowser, the so-called King of the Koopas. Bowser had, put politely, pressed Wesker to quicken the search for the remaining balls.

"My Troopas and Bison's have already found two more!" Bowser snarled, his breath causing his image on the video conference to fuzz. "If you don't start doing your part, I'm gonna hang you out to dry!"

What Bowser didn't know was that Wesker had already found another one of the mysterious 'X' Balls earlier. He planned on keeping it a secret until the rest of the balls were found, which was also when he would cut ties with the Koopa Troop and Shadowloo. He knew M. Bison was planning to do the same.

Adding to the day's headaches was that he just received word that the control mechanism he put on Zero had been disabled. Fortunately, the construction of the 'Zero-Beta' drones was more or less finished. That, however, did not negate the fact that there was now another loose end to be taken care of.

It just went on and on. Which was why Wesker wasn't surprised when he received the following report from security;

"Mr. Wesker!" A voice on his intercom piped up, "Intruders have gotten into the building!"

Wesker looked up from his computer. "What? How did they get in?"

"Uh…" The voice sounded embarrassed. "Through the front door. The guard on duty was at the water fountain."

_Somehow, I'm not surprised._ Wesker thought. Bowser had 'generously' lent him some of his forces to augment his personal security, and already Wesker believed that the Koopa King was playing an elaborate prank.

What Wesker said was, "Seal off all exits and capture them. Report back afterwards or if the situation changes."

**BACK AT THE LOBBY**

MegaMan, Peach, and company carefully crept through the building. MegaMan had his Mega Buster readied and charged, prepared to fire at anything that might come out and attack them. The hallway was poorly lit, and there was no sign of anyone else.

"Hello?" Peach called out softly.

"I…I don't like look of this place!" Toad moaned, "We shoulda just camped out in the lobby!"

"It'll be fine, Toad," The Mushroom Princess assured her retainer, though she didn't sound very sure herself. "Maybe if we can turn on a few more lights…"

Click!

The hallway became flooded with light.

"Oh! Thank you, MegaMan." Peach said , rubbing her eyes.

"…But I didn't do anything." MegaMan replied.

"Tha' wath me."

The group turned. Standing directly behind them, its malformed hand on a switch, was a zombie. It waved at them. Then it lunged, and got its head blown off by MegaMan. More undead and genetic freaks began to pour into the hallway from behind.

"Run!" MegaMan yelled, firing at the incoming mass.

Stage 1: Clerical Floor

The group cast aside any pretense of caution as they ran down the hall. However, every door along the way had another zombie just waiting to pop out. Some were even had tools, such as mops, brooms, or large hammers.

"I've heard of skeletons in the closet, but this is ridiculous!" Toad cried.

Fighting the undead horde was a simple thing, but what the zombies lacked in actual skill they made up for in numbers and stamina. Simply hitting one wasn't enough to it. Peach and MegaMan had to literally tear them limb from limb to stop them. And while they were busy with one, the other zombies would come up and try to grab them from behind.

MegaMan blasted another zombie and yelled, "This is pointless! We have to keep moving!"

And so that was how it was for the royal-robot group. Zombies, zombies, zombies. As they went on, however, the zombies began to act more…creative…in how they tried to hinder the gang's progress.

At one point a zombie got a hold of a fire extinguisher and began to spray Peach and MegaMan. Luckily, the hose became stuck at one point, allowing the heroes to pummel the zombie effortlessly.

Further down the way several zombies had set up some kind of miniature barricade…made from other zombies. It wasn't very effective, but the smell was _revolting_. It took several blasts from the Mega Buster and whacks from the parasol to bring it down. Peach's nose wrinkled as she stepped over the defunct barricade _very carefully._

More and more undead came at the heroes as they went down the hall. Some had deteriorated some much that were more or less skeletons…in white collar wear. And upon closer inspection (Well, as close as you can get to the undead without having your brains eaten), Peach realized that the skeletons looked familiar.

"They're Dry Bones!" She gasped.

"They sure are," MegaMan noted, smacking one. He smiled as it fell to pieces.

"No, I mean they'll get back up!"

"What do you mean?" MegaMan got his answer when the Dry Bones he smacked reassembled himself. "Oh."  
>"If there are Dry Bones' in this building, then Bowser's gang aren't far behind," Peach reasoned as they continued on, "We have to get out of here!"<p>

"I think that ship sailed a loooong time ago, Princess." Toad gulped as he jogged to keep up with his longer-legged companions.

Eventually the four came to a large set of elevator doors at the end of the hall. Toad rushed up and pushed the button. "I hope this thing goes up!"

"I just hope it goes period!" MegaMan said, looking behind. The zombie horde was closing in. "And soon!"

Not more than two minutes later the lights above the elevator lit up, and the doors opened…and dozens of zombies poured into the hall!

Stage 1: Complete

"We shoulda taken the stairs!" Toad wailed as the zombies and skeletons mobbed the group.

**WITH WESKER**

Wesker was typing at his laptop when another one of Shadowloo's Bison Dolls entered. He finished the paragraph was working on then looked at her.

"We've captured the intruders." She reported.

Finally, some good news. "Who are they?" He asked, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Two organics, two robots," The Bison Doll replied, "One of them looks like a smaller version of the 'MegaMan X' unit we read about in Zero's memory banks."

That was interesting. "Take the organics to the labs for testing. Send the robots to the factory for reprogramming, and to be analyzed for mass production. How many Zero-Betas have been produced?"

"We have over one hundred ready."

Just one hundred? Wesker had hoped to have more. If robotics had been his specialty, he could have found some way to increase production. Still, a hundred of the amazing Zero was nothing to sneeze at. Too bad the reploid wasn't organic, or he could have found some way of cloning him…Which brought to mind another project.

"How has Dante responded to the K-cells?" Wesker asked, bringing up the file of that project.

One of Wesker's latest innovations was to use Koopa Troopa DNA to make subjects more…docile. Malleable. In short, perfect soldiers. He wanted to see what would happen if a half-demon received a dose. But

"Unfortunately, Dante has, once again, shown no change in his body's chemistry at all." The Bison Doll reported.

Wesker stared at her. "…Again? That's impossible. There must have been some kind of reaction," He began to type furiously. "Even _demon_ cells would have to work a little after an injection of that size…have you been monitoring his status?"

"We have, per your orders. But…it's like the K-cells vanish as soon as they make physical contact." The Bison Doll said, looking a bit unsure.

Wesker grunted and folded his laptop. "I'd better examine him myself. And what of the newest capture? The ape, I mean?"

"He's in the labs as well. Would you like to see him?"

Wesker nodded. He needed to get out of this stuffy office anyway. As he and the Bison Doll left, neither of them noticed a pair of glowing eyes in the shadows…

**MEANWHILE**

Dante eyes opened. Then closed. Then opened again. And then they closed again. It wasn't blinking, as the time between open and closed was too long. After about three minutes of this indecision, Dante's eyes opened and stayed that way. They focused as consciousness became dominant, followed by a splitting headache and some backache.

"Oh…god, what happened?" The half-demon moaned, sitting up. Looking around, he saw that he was in some empty room. No furniture, no windows. Just a pair of lights attached to the ceiling.

"How did I get here- wait." Dante then remembered his duel with Meta Knight. The little gumball must have kidnapped him! "Awww, don't tell me I actually _lost _to that runt!" Dante took a brief moment to pray that Trish nor anyone else he knew- _especially _his enemies! –heard about it, unaware that the fight's outcome had already been posted on the evil alliance's homepage.

"Hello? Help! Is anyone out there?"

Dante was distracted from his moment of agonizing to hear the sound of pretty voice. It was coming from the room's only door. Testing the knob, he was intrigued to find that it was unlocked. He tapped the door and it swung open. After waiting a moment, he poked his head out, and found himself looking down a hallway that was a damp dark blue. Doors no doubt leading to other rooms like his lined the walls.

"And the plot thickens." Dante murmured. The son of Sparda saw a light from one of the doors and went towards it. "Anyone in there?"

There was the sound of high-heel slippers hitting the floor. "Who's that?"

"Just some guy," Dante answered, thinking, _She sounds hot. Hope it's actually a girl._ "You need some help?"

"Yes! I've been captured, along with my retainer! Could you please let us out?"

"Have you tried the knob? Maybe it's unlocked." Dante suggested.

"There is no knob!" A slightly obnoxious voice answered. Dante figured it must have been the retainer Peach mentioned.

"Weird, my room had one." Dante muttered, more to himself. Little did he realize, said lock had mysteriously vanished. "All right, I got this. Stand back!"

Dante took out Rebellion and held it up, point straight in the air. After about six seconds of scrutinizing, he…swung it down at the door!

SHWACK!

"Try it now." Dante said, sheathing the blade.

The door swung open slowly, and Princess Peach stepped out, followed by Toad. Dante gave her a once-over.

_Thought so. Pretty hot. But…pink? She looks like something out of a kid's show!_ He thought.

"Thank you for helping us out," Peach said, "I'm Princess Peach, and this is my royal mushroom retainer, Toad. Who are you?"

"Name's Dante," The son of Sparda introduced, giving Peach an overly dramatic bow. "May I have the honor of escorting you out, my lady?"

"That's very kind of you to offer," Peach replied, and pointed down the hall. "You can help us find our friends. They were taken somewhere else. Come on!"

As the three went off, Dante thought, _If she's a real princess, that means I could make a real killing on this. Royals always throw money at hot heroes like me!_

Stage 2: Animal Testing

The three walked down the hallway- Peach tentatively, Toad nervously, Dante without a care- in complete and utter silence- save for Dante's humming the theme song for the _Devil May Cry _anime series. This went on without pause for several minutes.

Then Dante frowned. "Okay, I'm bored. Something needs to happen."

"Don't say that!" Peach berated, "We were attacked by zombies earlier, what if more show up?"

"Zombies would be cool," Dante replied nonchalantly, "Besides, if any _do _attack us, I can-" (He sliced his sword through the air at imaginary foes) "-to 'em."

Just then, at least 6 doors ahead of the trio opened up. Then zombies came out!

"Well, you got your wish!" Toad groaned.

Dante smirked. "_Finally_."

Dante threw himself at the undead pack before them. Peach's eyes widened and she quickly opened her parasol. The princess and retainer took refuge behind it, and thus were shielded from the barrage of torn up undead pieces of flesh that resulted in the ensuing carnage. It lasted for about five minutes.

"Yeah, that did it," Dante sighed, stretching. "Can't believe how tense you get when you sleep on a hard floor. Nothing helps you loosen up like a little melee!"

Peach folded her parasol up as she and Toad stared at the scene before them. Dante was standing the center of what looked like…well, there was no single name for what they were. Oddly-shaped chunks of zombie flesh, an undead jigsaw puzzle.

"Yeah…probably took it a little too far," Dante admitted under the force of their gaze. "Just a little antsy for some reason. Felt like I hadn't moved for months."

In spite of that little display, they moved on, though Peach made sure to give Dante some extra space. Sure enough, they encountered more undead, but the subsequent batch of zombies were…odd. Oddly-shaped, to be precise. They were becoming less like rejects from a horror movie and more like poor references to the Cthulu mythos. All were dealt with, and not just by Dante. Peach got a few good hits herself. But one question still remained…

"What _are _these things?" Toad asked, "I've never even _heard_ of monsters like them!"

"Yeah, they're unnatural, all right…" Dante muttered, a thoughtful look in his eye. _This is starting to remind me of those creepy experiments that Wesker guy did during the last dimensional-merger…could _he _be involved in all of this?_

Dante didn't have much time to think on the subject, as he and the Mushroom Kingdomers had a new challenge ahead of them. Three new challengers, all of the same type.

Nemesis T-type, to be exact.

Peach gasped. "Not _more _of him!"

"You've _seen _a Nemesis before!?" Dante asked, bringing out his guns. Without another word, he unleashed a wild, unending slew of bullets at the three Nemesis'. Peach, for her part, threw as many turnips, radishes, and other vegetables from _Super Mario Bros 2_ as she could pluck out of the ground at time. Apparently a patch of farmland had been put in that specific spot.

The standoff lasted for several minutes until the Nemesis' began to walk forward. Unbothered, Dante took Rebellion and began to hack at the gruesome guards with abandon, swiveling around their meaty fists to avoid being pummeled with hit-and-run tactics. Peach did something similar with her umbrella, only she limited herself to jumping from one pair of shoulders to the other. Eventually, they were able to bring down the Nemesis trio.

Stage 2: Complete

Passing by one door, Peach heard a primal roar. "That sounded like…"

Curious, she opened the door (Shouldn't someone be locking these?), and went inside. In the room, she saw a large wooden barrel chained to the floor. It shook slightly as something inside the barrel tried to break out.

"Donkey Kong, is that you?" Peach asked, approaching the barrel. She and Toad began to pry the top of the barrel off with limited success.

"Hey, what's going on?" Dante asked, entering.

"A friend of mine is being kept in this barrel," Peach explained, and winced as the barrel rocked, "Oh, DK, hold still!"

"Yeah, we're working as fast as we- Ow! Splinter!" Toad cried, sucking his finger.

But Dante wasn't paying attention to the Mushroom Kingdomers. He was staring intently at the other side of the room. There was another door there, and it had opened to reveal…

"Wesker." Dante murmured. _Well, that explains all of the freakish mutants crawling around here._

Wesker's eyes narrowed. "Dante." _How did he get out of his cell? _From behind, the Bison Doll came and moved towards the barrel, preparing to restrain Peach via Street Fighting. It was at this moment that the barrel exploded, sending Peach flying into Dante ("Whoa, let's have dinner first!") and sending Toad head-first into the Bison Doll.

Donkey Kong was angry. He was so angry that it was very possible that steam might pour out of his ears. With everything that had happened to him lately- Being attacked during his banana hunt, shot at, stuffed into a barrel-that the urge to break something, _anything_, was so great that threatened to overwhelm and smother the universe.

Then he saw Wesker.

Wesker's muscles tightened as three hundred pounds of ape fury bore down on him.

_Donkey Kong vs Wesker_

Donkey Kong leapt up and swung two big fists at Wesker. Wesker disappeared from the spot, much to DK's confusion. Wesker _reappeared _directly behind DK, and began to hammer some blows into the ape.

CRA-CRA-CRACK!

Donkey spun like a helicopter rotor, backhanding Wesker three times before sending the villain flying. Wesker recovered, landed on his feet and shot towards DK with amazing speed, gun in hand.

POW!

However, the added momentum made the collision with Donkey Kong's fist even more painful. Wesker even felt his teeth shake, threatening to pop out.

_It's about ten- no, twenty times worse than being hit by Redfield! _Wesker thought trying to right himself. Standing up, he thought, _It would be too dangerous to go at this beast head-on in this state, and I can't take the risk of killing him. I'd better mix things up…_

At this point, DK wasn't waiting for Wesker to make his move, and was in fact charging the man on all fours, intent on unleashing primal power on him.

What followed next was a series of quick blows as Wesker used his enhanced speed to zip around Donkey Kong, just narrowly avoiding being pounded into paste. This lasted for about seven seconds, as Wesker ended up tripping on DK's tie on the eighth second. On the ninth second Wesker was already getting back up, but Donkey Kong wasn't going to let _that _happen, and began to slap down on Wesker endlessly. A garbled cry of pain barely came out from Wesker as he felt the hands come down on him again and again. Enough was enough…!

Wesker vanished, and DK stopped, frowning at the floor where Wesker had been. Only his sunglasses remained. He heard a 'whoosh' from behind and turned, seeing Wesker coming at him…eyes glowing blood red…!

THWACK!

Donkey Kong _headbutted _Wesker. And thus, Albert Wesker went down and didn't get back up.

_End Battle_

Donkey Kong picked up Wesker's limp form with one hand and give it a sniff. Still alive, he it smelled to him. He tossed Wesker aside, conveniently hitting the Bison Doll. Toad, having just been saved from the Bison Doll's wrath, quickly rushed over to Princess Peach's side. She and Dante were staring at Donkey Kong in both awe and terror.

"…Whoa." Was all Dante said.

"Donkey Kong!" Peach called out. When she had the big ape's attention, she said, "We're leaving. Would you like to come with us?"

DK nodded, patting his chest with a fist. He knuckled towards the door Wesker came out of and glared at the others. He then gestured, as if saying, "Let's go, this way."

"So, now we're taking point from a monkey?" Dante asked sardonically, "Trish is never gonna believe this one…" He trailed off when he saw something on the floor. Picking it up, he saw that it was a card key of sorts. Dante pocketed it, as it could be useful.

And with that, the group, now with extra knuckle-dragging, left the room, closing the door behind them. Wesker then pulled himself up, his head throbbing like no tomorrow. He pulled out his cell phone, took a moment to replace his shades, and made a quick call.

"Security, this is Wesker," He said, "The prisoners have escaped. Have all hands on the alert."

**MEANWHILE**

Pikachu cautiously crept around the huge factory. Staying to the shadows, he listened as machinery all around him worked, filling the air with a cacophony of pounding hammers, hissing welders, and turning gears. Eventually he noticed a door that was ajar. From the slight crack Pikachu heard a an odd whirring noise accompanied by a faint, green glow. Curious, the little yellow mouse went in.

There, he saw what looked like a little boy in a blue helmet incased in some sort of vertical glass box. A beam of light was continually shown upon him. Lying next in a horizontal box was some kind of dog.

Pikachu's ears twitched as he stared. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't like the look of it. It occurred to the electric Pokemon that neither box had air holes. They would suffocate! Acting quickly, Pikachu puffed his cheeks and set out quick bolts of lightning. The boxes crackled slight, then opened, sending the blue boy falling to the floor.

MegaMan groaned as he reactivated. Getting up, he found some sort of yellow rodent sniffing around him.

He then remembered what had happened. "Peach! Toad! Rush!"

MegaMan looked around and saw the second container. Reaching inside, he pulled out Rush and reactivated the robotic dog. Rush got to his feet and shook himself.

"C'mon, boy, we've got a princess to save! Again." MegaMan said, and went for the door. Rush followed close behind.

Pikachu stared at the departing robots. Did that blue boy say Peach? He knew the princess? Pikachu wasn't sure what was going on, but if one of his friends were in danger, he was going to help out!

Stage 3: Parallel Assembly Line

MegaMan, with Rush close behind, ran down the railways and catwalks as an immense multi-part assembly line operated all around him. A klaxon began to blare and a red light flashed as he made his way.

"WARNING! WARNING! SECURITY BREACH! SECURITY BREACH!" A raspy voice on the P.A. system bellowed, "ALL HANDS BE ON THE ALERT!"

"I wonder if they mean me…" MEgaMan considered aloud, "Better be on my toes!"

That's when the catwalk he was on suddenly exploded. With the floor under him taking a nose dive, MegaMan tumbled onto a conveyor belt and found himself being shuffled forward. This wouldn't have been so bad, but he also had to worry about numerous robotic hands, welding torches, and other doohickies trying to reach out and violate his personal space. Activating his Mega Buster, Rock fired at the invasive appendages. He jumped and did an odd dance to avoid those that were out of his line of fire, but it was becoming too much. The speed of the belt wasn't helping either. It wouldn't be long until something grabbed, burned, or cut him open!

"_CH-AH!_"

_FZZAPP!_

There was a _huge_ surge of electricity, and suddenly all of the machinery shut down. Even the conveyor belt stopped moving. MegaMan looked around, trying to find the source of the power surge.

"What caused that?" MegaMan asked, looking down at Rush. His dog just shrugged. "Well, whatever it was, let's take this chance while we have."

And with that, the robots set off. Their progress, though less troublesome without the assembly line's attempts at 'MegaMan-ipulation', still had its own difficulties. The power outage had caused most the lights to go out, forcing MegaMan to move slowly or trip over and get tangled in one of the frozen robot arms. As he tip-toed across, he heard something moving off to the side. Looking, he could make out the silhouettes of wrench-wielding creatures fiddling around with the machinery. The lights soon came back on, and MegaMan got a better look.

Giant moles! With turtle shells! They began throwing their wrenches at MegaMan, which he blasted out of the air with his Mega Buster.

That's when the assembly line kicked into gear again, forcing the robot to dodge both robotic arms and projectile tools. As he leaped over one claw, he summoned a Mega Ball and kicked it at another arm. The arm's wielding torch exploded as the ball connected, causing a piece of shrapnel to fly off and strike one of the turtle-moles.

"Ack!" The Rocky Wrench cried out, clutching his eye. "The goggles! They do nothing!"

MegaMan ignored this as he pushed on. As he moved, something occurred to him. _Where was this belt taking him?_

He got his answer as he saw a huge pit coming up ahead. The end of the conveyor belt was sticking over it, dumping anything on it into the darkness below. With no idea of where that darkness led to, MegaMan felt the wisest course of action was staying out of the pit- a hard task, when on the aforementioned conveyor. Knowing how comical he looked, MegaMan turned around and began to run in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the belt was speeding up. Looking around, MegaMan saw another catwalk and prepared to fire a grappling hook. The hook wasn't very useful in combat, but it came in handy when traversing difficult terrain. HE just hoped the railing was strong enough to hold his metal body.

Then a wrench struck him in the head with a 'clang' and MegaMan fell back into the pit. With a fearful yowl, Rush dived after him.

MegaMan fell for about 5.9 seconds before landing on his feet, with Rush landing besides him. He was in some kind of large arena-type chamber. He could windows for people to look in with up above.

There was the sound of footsteps approaching drew MegaMan's attention to what was before him.

Two tall figures, both identical. Red and white armor, arm and legs similar to his own, and a long, blond pony tail that went down to the floor.

MegaMan had seen this person before- no, not a person. _Robot. _He had seen the unfinished design specifications in a file from one of Dr. Wily's computers.

Looks like someone had finished it. And made another. And then he rembered the assembly line. _How many more have been made?_

The two robots stepped forward, their arms becoming Buster Guns. MegaMan tensed himself, preparing for a hard fight.

"Pika-_CHU!_"

A bolt of lightning shot down from above and at the approaching Wily-bots. The two tried to doge it, but their hair absorbed a bit of the voltage. Pony tails weren't meant to be frizzled, from the look of things. MegaMan looked up to see that yellow mouse from falling down, and caught it in his arms.

"Hey, little, guy," MegaMan greeted, "Did you fall down here too?"

"Pi!" Pikachu nodded, and squirmed out of MegaMan's grip. Landing on the floor, he glared at the two robots, his little cheeks crackling. It was strangely adorable. He unleashed another jolt of electricity, but this time the two robots were ready and avoided it. They shot forward together, one at MegaMan and one at Pikachu. Pikachu narrowly zipped out of the way to avoid being a fuzzy-yellow soccer ball, while MegaMan blocked a punch before ducking a roundhouse kick. This new type of robot was good! He began to charge up his own Mega Buster, preparing to fire, when the robot slashed at him with some kind of beam saber. MegaMan jumped back to avoid losing his arm and fired. It missed, and the robot continued his assault. Off to the side, the second robot was also attempting to get at Pikachu, but the little mouse was just too fast. With lightning-fast speed and precision, Pikachu zipped in and out his attacker's reach, landing small, electrical shocks whenever he could. MegaMan had started to adopt a similar approach. He focused on staying away from his own opponent and landing quick, shots with either his uncharged Buster or the MegaBall. Luckily, whoever built these robots hadn't bothered with advanced AI, so the simple strategies worked.

Until MegaMan's attacker got lucky and knocked MegaMan off his feet with his own Buster Gun. The taller robot was on him in less than a heartbeat.

Panicking, MegaMan put his hand on the robot's chest and activated his Weapon Copy system. Much to his amazement, he felt a new tool being added to his arsenal, and even better, this stunned his would-be assassin.

+Zero Saber Obtained+

A vibrant green blade of energy appeared from his Mega Buster, and MegaMan swung his arm across as hard as he could. The bisected robot fell to piece; top half to the right, bottom half to the left.

Pikachu, however, had ended his battle with a decidedly louder approached. There was a rumble of thunder as the Electric-type's body became the center for a pillar of lightning- a pillar that the second Wily-bot couldn't get away from. The voltage, combined with damage from the smaller shocks, fried the robot's circuits and wiring until they melted and hardened into something normal made in a kiln. When the dust settled, the robot was lying on the floor, most of its artificial skin gone. Rush sniffed at it.

MegaMan wasn't sure what to say. For a little critter, it packed a huge punch. He was glad that tiny thing was on his side, for multiple reasons.

Oh well, no point to staying around here. MegaMan broke one of the windows with the Mega Ball, and used the Rush Coil to jump up towards it. Much to his surprise, he found that the little mouse was following him.

Stage 3 complete

Peach, Dante, Donkey Kong and Toad raced down one hallway as red lights flashed and klaxons blared. Dante was in the lead, Rebellion readied to cut down anything that got in the way. At the end of the hall they came across a door with a sign displaying EXIT in neon-red letters at the top. Dante took it down in two strokes and kick.

"Hey, was that locked?" Toad asked. Dante shrugged in response.

Exiting, the gang found themselves in a large courtyard surrounded by a tall, electric fence with barbed wire. Spotlights had been positioned at every corner. The grass was surprisingly well-kept. It was all sandwiched between two buildings.

Peach stared at the other building, opposite of the one they left. "MegaMan must be in there. Do you see in entrance?"

That's when the wall of the other building exploded in a fantastic display of lights.

"There's one." Dante commented dryly.

Three figures leapt out from the hole in the wall and landed before Peach's pack. The princess recognized them immediately.

"MegaMan!" She cried, "And…Pikachu?!"

"Princess Peach!" MegaMan said, "You're all right! How did you escape?"

"This man saved me." Peach explained, gesturing to Dante.

MegaMan regarded Dante. The man looked human enough, but for some reason he was getting an inhuman reading from his scanners. Dante, for his part, was also giving MegaMan a once-over. He had heard the name 'MegaMan' from Zero during that incident in the Marvel universe, but wasn't quite sure what to make of the short, blue robot.

_Funny…the guy Zero mentioned sounded a little taller…_

Then MegaMan noticed Donkey Kong. "Gorilla!" he cried, aiming his Mega Buster.

"Relax, he's with us." Dante shrugged.

DK stood over MegaMan, knuckles on the ground. The big ape smiled, or more specifically, his teeth showed as the edge of his lips moved upwards. MegaMan took a step back.

Meanwhile, Peach had found Pikachu and was giving him a little hug.

"Why, Pikachu, I didn't know you were here!" Peach cooed, "How have you been?"

"Chaaa…" Pikachu replied, which meant, "Just fine, thank. And you?"

Not one of them realized that they were being watched. In a secure location not far away, Wesker watched both parties interact on a closed-circuit television set. He heard a door open up behind him.

"All preparations have been made." He heard the Bison Doll say.

"Have the remaining Zero-Betas been readied for transport?" Wesker asked, not turning his head.  
>"I <em>said <em>all preparations were made." The Bison Doll said stoically.

Wesker nodded. Good. Then there was only one last thing to do. He took a moment to rest his hand on the metal case beside him- the X-Ball was sealed within, and the lock would only release when Wesker put in both his genetic sample and the pass code- and pushed a button on the console in front.

Back on the ground, the escapees were busy debating their next move.

"I don't want to stay in this place any more than I have to," Peach said, "It's stopped raining, so why don't we leave?"

"Yea, I don't feel like walking," Dante said coolly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Let's see if we can steal someone's ride, like a helicopter or motorcycle?" Please _let there be a bike, that would be so awesome._ "Anyway, I'd like to know what Wesker's up to, too. Wouldn't hurt to keep looking around."

"That might not be smart," MegaMan put in, "I'm not saying we shouldn't investigate this facility, but we're improperly equipped for the job. We should come back after restoring ourselves. If we're not careful, we could fall into a trap and-"

MegaMan was cut off by the sound of every spotlight turning on at once. The lights turned about until they focused on the group. In spite of the brightness, they could see an airship of some kind rising into the sky. It was a small airship, just a bit bigger than a helicopter, but it still looked like a pirate galley held aloft by booster rockets, and dozens of propellers sticking out from the hull.

"What is _that_?" Dante asked in a deadpan voice, raising an eyebrow.

"It looks like a smaller version of the ship you were on, Princess." MegaMan said to Peach.

"Groo-ooh!" Donkey Kong cried out, which was ape for, "Look out! Something's coming!"

A pulsing white and green beam shot out from the airship and struck Peach. When it stopped, she was gone.

"Pika-Pika!?" Pikachu gasped.

"Where'd she go?" Dante asked, his tone serious.

"She must have been transported!" MegaMan exclaimed, trying to make sense of what happened. "That ray must have been a teleporter...that's the only explanation of why there's nothing left…"

MegaMan's theory was correct, as at that moment Peach was being forcibly locked in another cage.("Not again!") When the Bison doll reported this to Wesker, the evil scientist pushed another button on his control panel. From what he had learned from his 'partners', Peach had some information on the X-balls that could be useful in the future. All that was left was to tie up the loose ends, and there was only one way to do it. While examining Zero, he had, with Magikoopa's and Shadowloo's help, accessed the reploid's memory banks and constructed a powerful android based on that data. A door on the bottom of the airship opened, and that android shot towards the remaining escapees in the compound.

"Here comes something else!" Dante yelled, taking hold of Rebellion.

The android impacted the earth, sending up dirt and grass. As the dust settled, it stood over its targets with (Figurative) blood in its eyes.

_Boss battle: Sigma-class Attackeroid Version 5.8 ("Sigma")_

The android shot forward, shield in hand. MegaMan saw its other hand becoming an arm-cannon and jumped back, readying his Mega Buster. The android had white, curved spikes coming out of its back, but that wasn't important at the moment, as it spun around on its heel to give Donkey Kong a kick in the breadbasket. At the same time, it fired a blast the size of a fully-charged Mega Buster shot at Dante. Dante jumped to avoid the blast, and took out his guns and began to fire them at Sigma, only to hit his shield. Sigma turned and fired another shot from his arm cannon at Dante, who was forced to roll to the side to dodge it. Sigma then rocketed towards Dante, only to stop and spun around- Donkey Kong had attempted to jump on the android, only to be smacked away. The big ape almost squashed Pikachu as he hit the ground.

"Everyone spread out!" MegaMan shouted, "Keep moving and try to slow him down as best you can!"

Unfortunately, this strategy was difficult to implement on both counts. Sigma was constantly in motion, and very adept with his shield. Whenever either MegaMan, Dante, or Pikachu would try to shoot at him, Sigma would spin around to block the attack, causing the blasts to rebound at someone else. And rather than focus on a single target, Sigma would zip around like a pinball, attacking whoever got in the way. And despite his bulky armor, Sigma was very agile. And because of said armor, any shots that did hit him barely slowed the battling robot.

After getting slugged in the chest for the third time, Dante made this comment, "you know what? This whole 'keep moving' thing ain't working."

_He's right, _MegaMan thought, _If we're going to survive this, we can't just stay on the defensive. _Aloud, he asked, "Do you have an idea?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Dante replied coolly, and whipped out…a guitar? "Watch and learn, shorty! And see if you can hold baldy's attention for a minute!"

Unsure of what Dante was playing to do with a musical instrument (Maybe it was one of those secret cannons, like in those old spy movies?), MegaMan began to fire at Sigma. The tall android turned away from its attempts to crush Pikachu under its feet and blocked the shots with its shield. Pikachu gave the 'droid a quick shock before zipping away, but Sigma paid it no mind, focusing its attention on MegaMan. While this was going on, Dante was moving in for the kill. Gripping the guitar by the neck, he used his other to pluck the strings.

FWA-BOOM!

The guitar emitted a purple-ish blast of sound waves, hitting Sigma dead on. The robot was briefly stunned, but recovered quick enough and caught Dante's blade in mid-swing before kicking the half-demon away. But with his back turned, Donkey Kong was able to sneak up (As much a 300 pound ape could sneak, anyway) and give Sigma a solid punch in the back.

MegaMan couldn't believe it- The guitar was effective against the attacking android! _Maybe…yes, that's it! _He ran up to where Dante was and put his hand on the guitar. He activated his weapon-copying system and felt his systems assimilate the guitar's specifications.

+Nevan Cannon obtained+

"What are you doing?" Dante asked, standing up.

"Now I've got your power!" MegaMan declared, pumping his fist. "We might win this yet!"

With the inclusion of the 'Navan Wave' to his arsenal, the fight against Sigma began to turn around. Because Sigma's shield couldn't block the soundwaves of the instrument, MegaMan and Dante were able to attack the android with impunity, paralyzing it and leaving it vulnerable to blows from Donkey Kong and Pikachu. At this point Sigma abandoned its shield and settled on a new tool- a _second arm cannon_. With two blasters ready, Sigma began to fire everywhere, putting the group on the defensive. Thankfully, the Navan Wave allowed MegaMan and Dante to slow Sigma down whenever they could, though this time the paralysis wouldn't hold for the length of time it did before.

Soon, Sigma began to spin like a top, sending out a steady stream of buster shots as he went. Everyone was forced to hit the dirt to avoid being shot.

_He has to stop eventually…even for a second, _MegaMan thought, _If he doesn't, his systems would overheat and explode, wouldn't they?_

As it happened, at that moment Sigma _did _stop, releasing steam from vents all over his body. The moment he did Dante leapt into action. Taking his sword, the half-demon hunter _threw _the sword at Sigma, impaling the attackeroid. Donkey Kong also moved in, hammering his fists onto sword's handle, driving it further in. Then Pikachu shot out a lightning bolt at the sword, shocking Sigma. This seemed to put the android at the breaking point, as the tall attacker seemed to stumble for a bit. Realizing that this was the perfect chance, MegaMan charged at Sigma. Once he was close enough, the Blue Bomber did a spinning uppercut that caused Sigma to exploded!

_Mega Upper!_

**BOOM!**

Bits and pieces of Sigma went everywhere. Dante's sword, by some strange feat, was shot into the air, spinning, before plummeting down and piercing the earth blade-first. A large metallic ball of silicon and glasss rolled at MegaMan's feet. Realizing that it was the core of Simga's systems, MegaMan picked it up and activated his weapons-copying system.

+Sigma Shield obtained+

Taking the hilt, Dante pulled his sword free and returned it to the sheath on his back. "Not a bad fight, all in all. Now what?"

MegaMan took a moment to give Rush some petting before answering. "Now we have to save Princess Peach! We just need to track that airship and-" But the airship was gone, the sky empty. The only thing worth looking at up above were stars. "No!"

"Wesker moves fast, doesn't he?" Dante remarked conversationally, also looking up. "I wonder why he was in such a hurry to leave. We didn't do that much damage…"

**MEANWHILE**

"...And we should arrive at the _rendezvous_ point in short time." The Bison doll finished as her hands gripped the helm of the airship.

"Good." Wesker replied.

Regardless of what you thought of Bison himself, you had to admit that he was very good at creating effective minions. Unlike Bowser's scatterbrained servents, Bison's 'Dolls' had been brainwashed to perfection. Each girl was loyal, competent, and undoubtedly dependable. But they were still Bison's Dolls, Wesker was certain that he had them scattered throughout the alliance to facilitate his eventual _coup_. A nip here, and tug there, and everything would fall into place at Bison's word.

This was why Wesker would have this Doll focus on the 'emergency' evacuation of the factory, so as to distract her while he prepared his own plans. After comparing notes from various scouts sent all over the new world, Wesker believed he had what he needed to fulfill his ambitions. He heard, no, rather, he _felt _a strange buzz from the case beside him.

_Soon, you will be united with your brothers, and the world will be born anew again…with a new God to rule it._

_Level 7 End_

(A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. My mind wanders, I've been distracted, I have no excuses, etc., etc.. But I would like to say that I made MegaMan deliver the finishing blow to the Sigma wannabe to celebrate the news that MegaMAn will be included in the next Super Smash Bros game! Woo-hoo! And I've also created a 'support characters' page, which will only be viewable on my Deviantart gallery. Just find the link on my author profile, and head for the gallery folder marked Super smash Bros vs Capcom. It should be at the very end. Till next time, do the Mario!)


	43. Adventure Mode: Level 8

_Level 8: Woods Within The Dark_

The sun was setting, and filling the woods with an ethereal glow as the dusk's light bounced off of the leaves and rocks. And through it all went the team of Mario, Chun-Li, Chris Redfield, and Fox McCloud. A silence had settled on the group, broken by the occasional snaps of sticks being stepped on.

"It's getting dark out," Chris said, looking around, "Maybe we should find a place to set up camp."

"Out here?" Fox asked, "That's crazy!"

"And stumbling around in the dark is stupid," Chris retorted, "I've got a flashlight, but there's still a chance we could step into something we can't handle."

"I don't like it," Fox said, "There's something about this place that's giving me the creeps. The sooner we get through it, the better. And we're still being chased, remember?"

"They'll have just as much trouble moving through the dark as we would." Chris replied.

"There's still plenty of daylight left," Chun-Li cut in, "Let's see how far we can go before night falls completely. Then we decide whether to stop or keep going."

That seemed as good an idea as any. Up in the lead, Mario knew that the constant moving was starting to wear down on his companions. None of them were used to this platformer-style of adventuring. He hoped they found a place to stop and rest soon. Even he was starting to grow edgy.

Up in the treetop above, a lone bird called.

_Stage 1: Will O' Wisp Willows_

As the group went onward, they found themselves dealing with an entirely new kind of problem; covered pitfalls. The leaves had been falling in that neck of the woods, so much that they covered up any holes in the ground. This made for several awkward moments when the _terra firma _proved to be less-than firm and someone found themselves dropping out of sight. This wasn't too much of a problem for Mario or Chun-Li- Mario was an old pro when it came to jumping, and Chun-Li's well-toned gams weren't just for show- but poor Fox and Chris needed extra help when they needed to overcome such a downturn in their journey.

"Augh!" Fox cried for the umpteenth time as the ground he was on sank. Before he could go completely down, Chun-Li and Chris grabbed him by each arm.

"I'm starting to get tired of this," Chris said as they helped Fox back up, "Who dug all of these traps?"

"They don't seem that sophisticated," Fox noted, "Maybe some hunter made them long ago."

As they walked on, none of them noticed a periscope popping out of the ground behind them. The eyes looking through the lens narrowed at the group before the periscope sank back underground.

_Stage 1 complete_

**ELSEWHERE**

Luigi was starting to think he had made a mistake. At first, a camping trip seemed like the best way to deal with all of the craziness from the worlds merging, get out of the cities and inter-cultural conflicts, and so on, and so forth, maybe he had chosen the wrong place to do it in. The forest seemed quite lovely during the day, and the skies above it didn't inexplicably turn dark upon entering, which was a plus. However, once night had actually fallen, things had turned for the worst. The trees seemed to grow grotesque faces, bats flew ominously against the full (but cloudy) moon, and owls hooted in rhythm. Every now and then a wolf in the distance howled, and something within the darkness made crackling noises. Luigi soon realized that the final sound was actually coming from the campfire.

_I shoulda stayed in the city with Mario_, the green-clad plumber thought, trying to block out the feeling of his beating heart. _Any more of this 'relaxation' and I'll crack!_

As if the forces of fate could hear his thoughts, a loud noise erupted in the distance. Luigi let out a slight shriek and stood up, brandishing a stick with a roasted marshmallow skewered on like a flimsy, tasty club. Whatever had made that noise had been a lot bigger than a twig being stepped on. Luigi realized that he had two choices. He could he stay and spend the rest of the night shivering in abject terror, or he could investigate. Neither option appealed to him.

_What would Mario do? _Luigi thought, and after a moment of consideration, downed the marshmallow. Picking up a flashlight, he made his way into the woods, trembling with each step.

_Stage 2: Petrified Pines_

Luigi walked along cautiously. The beam of his flashlight wasn't very strong, so he couldn't see very far ahead of him. This sense of trepidation would prove to be completely necessary, as the path was pocketed with pitfalls and other natural traps. Nipper plants lay in wait, prepared to bite at the lean, green plumber's ankles, and small fox-like predators were poised to leap out and pounce. Several times Luigi had to pick and throw a rock or stick in order to fake out his would-be hunters. However, not all enemies were willing to just wait for easy pickings. Small snakes would slither out and attack Luigi from the back, and spiders would lower down on their threads directly from above the mustached man.

"Cu-cut that out!" Luigi yelled nervously, brushing a spider from his cap and kicking at an approaching snake. He thought, _Next time I hear a weird noise in the dark and spooky woods, I'll wait until morning to investigate!_

_Stage 2 complete_

But Luigi wasn't paying too much attention to where he was going at this time, and tripped. Groaning, Luigi looked to what had caught his foot and turned white.

IT

WAS  
>A<br>HAND!

Luigi's terrified shriek sent birds flying from the forest. He watched in abject horror as the hand flexed, and then began to dig at the ground. A few seconds later the hand started to push itself further out, revealing a forearm, and even a whole body attached!

Zero dug himself out of the earth, his other arm firmly gripped on Arthur and Link. Once he was free, he laid the two of them on the ground. Ever since the caverns collapsed in on themselves, Zero had been forced to literally save the other two single-handedly. While Link's sword had been useful in finding a way out (That "Dousing" was quite good in that regard), the lack of oxygen had their effect, and the two humans had passed out in short time. Even with the Z-saber to cut the rocks away with, the climb up and out had been slow, and Zero hoped beyond hope that he wasn't too late.

"Luh…Link?"

Zero turned and saw that they weren't alone. A short little mustachioed man in green had been watching them, sitting against a tree. He seemed very much like Arthur, actually.

"Is…is that you, Link?" Luigi asked again. He shone his flashlight on the comatose two. While the taller of the two certainly had a green hat and pointy ears, this wasn't one of the Links Luigi knew.

"Excuse me," Zero said, drawing Luigi's attention. "Do you know any first-aid? My friends and I were caught in a cave-in, and they were injured."

Luigi nodded slowly, "Sure, I've got something."

Creeping over to Link and Arthur, Luigi pulled out two 1-Up Mushrooms from his pocket and forced each one down a throat. There was a noise like a bell ringing and both swordsmen woke up.

"Oh… What happened?" Arthur asked, scratching himself. His armor fell to pieces as he sat up.

Link didn't answer. Instead, he looked around at his new surroundings with a small amount of wonder and a larger amount of trepidation. When he saw Luigi, he raised an eyebrow. Immediately, he thought of two things; first, the overalls-wearing man looked slightly familiar, and second, the plumber's nose was one of the largest Link had ever seen on a man.

…Not that he would say so. Politeness counted for something, after all.

Zero gave his organic friends the run-down on what had happened after they fell unconscious, and introductions were made. Luigi was about to suggest he take them back to his campsite for the rest of the night when Zero yelled, "GET DOWN!" and shot forward, his Z-Saber ignited. Luigi shrieked and flattened himself against the dirt as the reploid made several slashing motions. Doing his best impression of an earthworm, Luigi put some distance between him and Zero.

"Zero, what do you think you are doing?" Arthur demanded as he helped Luigi up.

Zero didn't answer, at first. He kept glaring into the darkness, as if daring something to come out. _What _was _that? It almost looked like a hand about to grab Luigi…_

Meanwhile, Link felt a tingling and realized that the Triforce symbol on his hand was glowing. Taking out his sword, he began to douse, hoping to find what was causing the reaction. After figuring out what direction to go in, he motioned for the others to follow him. After pushing through several bushes, they came upon a large mansion. The structure was just sitting there, surrounded by a rusty iron fence, the gate of which was ajar. A bolt of lightning struck in the distance, illuminating the place.

"Ah, a shelter. Excellent," Arthur said, and began to march towards the building. "The light's are not on, but that does not mean no one is home."

Link checked his dousing. It seemed that what his Triforce symbol was reacting to was in that mansion. Nodding at Zero, the two of them went after Arthur.

Only Luigi was unhappy with this decision. He had been around long enough to know that spooky-looking houses in the middle of nowhere were nothing but trouble. He would bet his favorite hammer that the place was full of monsters. However, the idea of wandering around the woods all on his lonesome was equally unappealing. The rain wasn't helping either. A second bolt of lightning- one that struck a bit closer than Luigi would have liked- made up his mind.

"I'm gonna regret this." Luigi muttered, and went after the swordsmen.

_Stage 3: Holy Nightmare Hall_

The four, henceforth dubbed, Team Zero, approached the mansion's front door. Because he was the only one with a working flashlight, Luigi was forced into the front. As he walked, Luigi shone his light every which way, hoping not to be caught off guard by anything lurking in the shadows. The light revealed that the front yard had several tombstones. The nearest one said, "Your Hopes and Dreams"

After they reached the front door, Arthur wrapped his fist on the wood several times, hitting as loudly as he could.

"Hello? HELLO?" The little knight called out, "Is anyone home?"

There came no reply.

"Gosh, looks like there's no one home," Luigi said a bit too eagerly. "Oh well, I guess we're gonna have to go someplace else…"

Link shook his head. There was something unusual in the house, and he was planning to find it. Stepping forward, he grasped the door knob. Much to surprise, the door was unlocked. Link began to push, but before he could put in some sufficient force, the door swung open. A barely-lit hall beckoned them. Team Zero entered, with Luigi bringing up the rear. Inside, Zero picked up a candelabra from a small dress table. With a match lying conveniently nearby, he lit the wicks, bringing more light to the hall. Upon further inspection, the hall…looked quite normal. It had the traditional, classic decor, though the rug and paintings lying on the wall were clearly showing signs of age and decay.

"My, what a pleasant house." Arthur noted, positioning himself in the center, so he could see all around him.

It was at that moment that the chandelier, hanging directly above Arthur, suddenly dropped. Zero dove at Arthur, pushing the knight away from becoming glass and metal pizza. But instead of crashing into the floor, the chandelier stopped- it was still connected to the ceiling by a long chain that led into the ceiling. After dangling inches from the floor, it was pulled back up. Somewhere out of sight, something chuckled evilly.

"Still think it's pleasant?" Luigi asked, clutching his flashlight with a death grip. "We should get outta here before something worse happens. The chandelier was just the beginning…" Luigi turned back to the entrance and let out a yelp. The door was gone!

"What is it now?" Zero asked, and saw the severe lack of door. "…What?"

Zero and Arthur went over to inspect the scene of the crime. Arthur began to feel around the now-blank wall while Zero stared, almost trying to will the entrance back into existence. Behind them, Link and Luigi were busy looking around; the former was trying to figure out which direction to go from the dousing, and the latter just trying to intercept whatever demon lurked within the shadows.

"I can barely believe it," Arthur muttered, "It's almost as if the door was never here."

"But that shouldn't be possible," Zero protested softly, "Even a holograph can't hide the entrance that easily."

"Get used to it," Luigi gulped, "Stuff like this happens all the time in big, spooky houses built in the middle of big, spooky forests."

A creaking sound caught their attention, and the three saw that Link was making his way towards the door at the end of the hall. According to his dousing, there was something in that direction.

"Hey, don't go off like that on your own." Zero said, and went after him, with Arthur and Luigi close behind. Team Zero entered the door, only vaguely aware of something chuckling malevolently in the background.

As the four of them ventured throughout the mansion, any resemblance to reality quickly went out the window. figures within paintings seemed to move of their own accord, they encountered stairs that went up, down, sideways, and diagonally, sometimes at the same time. Parts of the floor would vanish just as they were a step away, almost causing someone to fall.

"Wah!" Luigi cried as he clung to the edge of another hidden pitfall.

"I've got you, hold on." Zero said, picking Luigi up.

"Behind you, behind you_behindyou!_" Luigi shrieked from Zero's grip.

The three swordsmen whirled about, but there was nothing there.

"Will you stop that?" Zero asked, annoyed. "You've been telling us 'Look behind!' every five minutes. It's starting to get on my nerves."

"Trust me, it's better this way," Luigi explained, "There's always a ghost lurking behind in these haunted houses. One time I- _Ahh!_"

This time, Zero saw it. Well, more specifically, he saw _something._ It looked almost looked like a set of fangs floating above Link's head, but more importantly, it looked a pair of fangs about to _bite _Link! Without saying a word Zero brought out his Z-buster and fired. He wasn't sure if he hit anything, but at least there weren't any fangs floating above Link. The Hylian in question had thrown himself on the floor when he heard the buster fire, and after getting up gave the Reploid a look. His eyes expressed both shock and irritation, demanding an explanation.

"Sorry," Zero apologized, feeling a bit foolish. Not too foolish, because he knew that he knew that he just saved Link from danger, but that it happened just after he berated Luigi was slightly embarassing. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

After this little incident, the rest of Team Zero became a bit more cautious in their trek, and for good reason; the spooky inhabitants were starting to grow less subtle in their attempts on the heroes. Spiders would leap from their excessive cobwebs and try to attach themselves to someone's face, bits of liter would be thrown by invisible hands, and ghoulish apparitions would appear and attack.

FInally, they reached the end of the hall, whereupon they now had a selection of three doors. Each door looked exactly the same, and there were no signs, not even a faint trail of dust, of which door was the right one.

"Now where do we go?" Luigi asked, staring at the doors. He knew one of them- maybe two, or even all three- was booby-trapped.

"_Choose your destiny…_"A thin, raspy voice echoed from everywhere. This ominous statement was followed by a shrill laughter that sent chills up everyone's spines.

Link checked his dousing. According to the Master Sword, the right course to take was…below. That couldn't be right. Link checked again, but it told him that the target was straight down through the floor.

Arthur, meanwhile, had his own method of selection- wild guessing. He marched right towards the door in the center, reached for the doorknob-

WHAM!

The door suddenly swung open, slamming the poor knight against the wall, smashing his armor to pieces. That same voice giggled nefariously as the door closed itself. Arthur fell back onto the floor, his armor scattering around him.

"I may have…chosen poorly." Arthur mumbled as Luigi and Link came to his aid.

The doors then did something odd- they peeled off of the wall, as if they were paper, and dissolved. Rather than showing the way out, this showed a totally blank wall. But Team Zero had no time to take this in as the floor opened up beneath them, and all four fell down the world's largest trapdoor.

**BELOW**

Arthur hit the ground with a 'WHAMANGANG, his armor once again falling to pieces. Almost automatically, he began to reassemble the bits of metal. Whatever relief he had at being unhurt by the fall was superseded by the irritation of having to put his armor back on. If he didn't know any better, he would think it was becoming more fragile by the day.

_Mayhaps I should consider a change to chain mail… _Arthur thought as he finished 'suiting up' by slamming his helmet down on his head. He then noticed that he was completely alone. "Hello? Fellows?" No answer came. At least, none that he recognized. Instead of Luigi's cautious- possibly cowardly- groans, or Zero's direct commands, or even Link's grunts, Arthur's ears detected the growling of some beast.

Then, out from the shadows of the dimly-lit room, a wild Pikachu appeared!

Arthur had no idea what a Pikachu was, of course. Not being native to the world of _Pokemon_, or even the Nintendo Universe, all he saw was a large, yellow mouse with a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt.

"Hello, there, little fellow," Arthur greeted, regarding the creature. "And where did you come from?"

The Pikachu glared at Arthur. It had never seen a knight in armor, or any other kind of knight, so it didn't know what to make of it. But what it did know that this _human _had appeared in its territory!

"I…I don't suppose you talk…?" Arthur asked cautiously. He was never entirely sure what to expect whenever the world's merged. Amaterasu's talking bug had certainly taken him by surprise. Arthur reached out with his hand, in what he believed was a peaceful gesture.

But all the Pikachu saw was a human coming for it. With little sparks crackling at its red-spotted cheeks, the Pikachu used Tackle!

_Arthur vs Pikachu_

Arthur was not expecting the Pikachu to attack him, so he was ill-prepared for the electric-type's assault. Luckily, his armor allowed him some protection, so when the Pikachu rammed into his chest, Arthur was not so much as damaged but merely shoved back a few paces.

"What the!" Arthur grunted, and took out his lance. If this little mouse wanted a fight, he was going to give it one!

The Pikachu, upon seeing that Tackle was ineffective, decided to use Tail Whip instead. Anyone watching would have been treated to the comical scene of a Pikachu flailing its tail against Arthur's head.

"Ow, ow! Stop that!" Arthur yelled, throwing a punch at the mouse Pokemon. His fist connected, knocking the Pikachu back. Arthur began throwing lances at the Pikachu, putting the electric-type on the defensive. The Pikachu zipped here and there avoiding the projectiles. However, one lance actually hit it. Now really incensed, the Pikachu used Thundershock.

KRA-KOOM!

It was super effective! Arthur's armor was blasted to pieces, leaving the plucky knight clad in his boxers. Again.

At this point, the battle began to heat up, as Arthur became more intense in his attacks. Partly it was to end the fight quickly before he received critical damage in his nearly-bare state, but it was also out of irritation over having said armor knocked off at what may have been every opportunity. Even the most chivilarous knights can throw a right tantrum now and then, and Arthur threw it along with multiple torches at the Pikachu. The wild Pokemon did its best to avoid the torches, and tried to unleash another powerful attack. However, because it was not properly trained, it's stamina levels were low and its stratagems were largely unpolished. Arthur was able to hit the Pikachu with a lance or torch whenever it tried to charge up an electric attack, and was able to dodge whenever the Pikachu managed to unleash something. Eventually, the Pikachu fainted.

_End Battle_

"Hey, Arthur!"

Arthur turned around and saw Link, Luigi, and Zero running towards him. Luigi and his flashlight out, while Link had a lantern hanging at his waist. When they got close enough to get a good look at the knight, they gaped.

"What happened to _you?_" Luigi asked, as not only was Arthur stuck in boxers, but every hair on his body was sticking out. The overall effect made it look like someone had glued brown needles to around his face.

"Never mind that," Arthur grumbled, "Just help me with my armor."

As they aided Arthur reassemble and re-dress, Zero quickly explained they're separation.

"There are these bouncy parts no the floor," He said, "We must have landed on some and gotten bounced in different directions. I was with Luigi and we found Link. We heard some noises in this direction and came looking."

"Bit of trouble with the local wildlife," Arthur said shortly, and fitted his helmet on. "Now, where do we go from here?"

Thanks to the dousing Link did with the Master Sword, they knew which way to go, though none had any idea where that would take them. The entire basement (Or what they assumed the dark expanse was) was cast in a shadow that hide anything that wasn't close enough. Even Luigi's flashlight cut off after a short distance. Every now and then Zero would fire a warning shot in front, but there came no reply. Out of the corners of their eyes they would see a faint figure within the gloom, but would be gone the minute anyone tried to get a better look.

Eventually, though, they saw a bright dot in the distance. It didn't take long to close that gap, and upon doing so they found whatever Link's sword had been locked onto.

It was a glowing white ball, very much like the one Link and Zero found in Agnus' lair. It was floating above a pedestal that seemed to have grown directly from the floor, it's edges both gnarled and jagged.

That's when the floor behind began to give away. The four, desperate not to experience another fall, raced towards the pedestal. They heard clattering noises all around and realized that all around them the ground was collapsing. However, at a certain radius of the ball the floor remained firm. And once everything settled, the ball-

-_it rose up_-

And a monstrous hand enveloped it, its fingers more like giant spikes. And looking down at the heroes, was a face with a long, cleft at the end of its jaw. It had no body, but somehow wore blue a star-patterned cape held up blue shoulder pads. On its head was a yellow, metal helmet with horns, and a mirror-visor for the eyes. the faces of Luigi, Zero, Arthur and Link reflected off of the glass, only barely in the low light.

"Hey, I've heard of you…" Luigi gasped, pointing. "You're that guy Kirby fought…_Nightmare!_"

_Boss battle: Nightmare_

Nightmare laughed, his shrill voice echoing in the heroes' ears. Then, without further ado, he swiped his giant hand at them. Team Zero jumped, narrowly avoiding being caught in his fingers. They barely had time to relax when they landed, as Nightmare swiped at them again.

"Did you enjoy my little house of wonders?" Nightmare cackled as he swept his hands across the platform. "I put in such hard work making it!"

"Your house?" Zero, aiming with his Z Buster. "What are you talking about?"

Nightmare sneered, "A mansion like this, propped up in the middle of nowhere… Surely you must have realized how unnatural that was!"

As one, the four thought of Luigi's earlier warnings. The plumber was too busy dodging to gloat, however. In response to Nightmare's gloating, Zero, Link, and Arthur fired and threw Buster shots, arrows, and lances at the ghoulish being, but he easily avoided them, his demonic head flying across to the other side of the darkness. Raising his hands, Nightmare unleashed purple and black star-shaped bursts of energy from his fingertips, sending Team Zero frantically zipping around to avoid them.

"But I needed to get your attention somehow," Nightmare went on, "If I hadn't you would have been wandering around that forest forever."

"Why would you want _our _attention?" Luigi asked, pulling his hat down as he ducked a dark star.

Nightmare's head began to circle the space above the platform. As he did, it multiplied until there were at least twenty Nightmare heads circling.

"You have something that I want," The Nightmares said, with a diabolical stereo effect. "Or should I say, _another _thing I want!"

The Nightmare heads scattered, going every which-way, but of them only one flew down at Team Zero. The horns on Nightmare's helmet knocked down Link and Arthur, while Luigi and Zero were able to jump and avoid them in time. Zero fired another shot from his Z Buster, but Nightmare only grunted in response.

_Another…what is he… _Zero then remembered the orb he and Link found in Agnus' lair, and the orb that Nightmare just took. "So, you mean that ball? Like the one we found?"

"Naturally," Nightmare replied, preparing to unleash another slew of stars. "With all the power just one gave me, of course I would want a second!" (Off to the side, Luigi asked Arthur what they were talking about)

Nightmare shot stars again, but things did not happen as before. With one swing of the Master Sword, he batted the first star back at the ghoulish wizard. The star hit Nightmare right in the jaw (Not an easy target to miss), causing him to cry out in pain. Furious, Nightmare clawed at the heroes again, but they were ready this time. Making sure to stay out of the way, Arthur, Link, and Zero swung there swords down at the left, while Luigi did a ground pound on on Nightmare's right hand.

"Erragh!" Nightmare hissed, retracting his hands.

"Why do you want these balls, anyway?" Luigi asked, having gotten no decent answer from Arthur. "What are they, magic?"

"More than just magic," Nightmare replied, "These balls are the sum total of the worlds!"

Zero and Link exchanged brief looks. Those words were too similar to Agnus' to be coincidence.

"Haven't you noticed that whenever the worlds merge, some parts are missing?" Nightmare asked, duplicating. As he swooped down, he said, "The orbs _are _those parts! The leftover pieces of the universe, condensed into spherical package! And once I eliminate you, I'll have to draw power from. Then nothing will stop me!"

"If you can do it." Zero pointed out, firing another Z-Buster shot at Nightmare.

Nightmare smiled maliciously. "Just watch."

The fight went on, with Nightmare shooting stars and swooping at the four whenever he could. The wizard mostly kept his distance, while the heroes attempted to get at him with arrows, lances, torches and energy shots. Luigi mostly kept to himself, stomping down on one of Nightmare's hands when the wizard felt confident enough to make a grab. Once or twice this would result in Luigi actually getting caught, only to be freed when Link slashed at the massive wrist with his Master Sword. All four of them noticed that Link's sword seemed to affect Nightmare more than any other attack or weapon. Once again Zero wondered about the Master Sword, and how it seemed to harm beings like Agnus and Nightmare more than his Z-Saber.

After he received another slash from the Master Sword, Nightmare shouted, "Enough! It's time I showed you the true power the World Orbs can give!"

Luigi gulped, "I don't the like the sound of that. 'True power' never means anything good."

Arthur scoffed. "The knave is bluffing. Had he power to destroy us, it would have been called upon earlier!"

Nightmare sneered. "Oh, I'm bluffing, am I?"

Nightmare took one end of his cape, morphed himself into a black and purple ball. Purple will-o-wisps appeared from it, dropping down onto the platform. The will-o-wisps then grew into larger shapes, becoming various creatures. And one of those creatures-

-Was _Iris_.

Zero froze in shock as his dead beloved suddenly appeared before him. Iris…the reploid woman he loved, the one he _killed_…before him again. It was a like something out of a dream…or a nightmare. This Iris was clearly an enemy. She lurched towards him, eyes hollow, hands raised aggressively. But try as he might, Zero could not bring himself to move. Some force had taken hold of his body. In a moment Iris was on top of him, a jagged dagger in her hands… and while Zero was being pinned down, Luigi was crouched down, shivering, and Arthur and Link, the only ones still fighting, were quickly becoming overwhelmed.

"AH HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Nightmare cackled, his voice echoing from everywhere. "This is my true power! Thanks to these Orbs, I can bring them back to life! The things you fear, the terrors that visit you in your sleep…I know them all, thanks to the Orb!"

That's when a loud BOING comically echoed throughout the chamber, cutting the tension like a hot knife through butter. Something green rocketed up from the floor, crashing into the Nightmare-ball like a missile. Nightmare reverted to wizard-mode as the things he made vanished like smoke. Zero pushed himself up in shock as Link and Arthur watched in amazement as Luigi landed on his feet.

"Errrrgh…you!" Nightmare snarled, rubbing his chin. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Luigi adjusted his hat and gave Nightmare a determined look. "I think I'm tired of letting ghouls like you push me around!"

Zero was impressed. Luigi had cowered and shivered his way throughout the entire walk since they met in the forest, but now the plumber was standing his ground against the nightmares. Watching him do so helped Zero push away the old sadness he felt whenever he thought of Iris, and the terror of seeing her appear again.

Nightmare wasn't quite as roused. Hissing, he swooped down, hands glowing with dark power. Zero ignited his Z-Saber and speared it down, sending the blade right through Nightmare's right hand and into the floor. On the led Arthur revealed his own sword, and with Luigi's help used it to pin down the left hand. Nightmare howled in pain, but stopped when he saw Link coming, Master Sword raised. Nightmare began to struggle, trying to free his hands, but Zero, Luigi, and Arthur held their swords down firm. Link jammed the tip of the Master Sword directly into Nightmare's forehead. the ghoul began to shriek as his body began to shudder and dematerialize. In a fantastic display of lights it exploded, leaving only the World Orb behind. The lights were then sucked into the Orb. Curious, and more than a little uneasy, Luigi cautious came over and picked it up.

Orb GET!

After Luigi pocketed the Orb, a lighten began to shine into the room. Team Zero looked around as the dark walls dissolved around them. Before long they were standing out in the middle of the forest as the sun began to rise. As Nightmare had said, he created the entire mansion, and without his power it could no longer exist.

"What do we do now?" Zero asked, putting away the Z-Saber.

Luigi laid himself down. "I dunno about you, but I'm gonna get some sleep. I feel like I've been up all night!"

Up in the nearby treetops, birds began to sing. Link held up the Master Sword began to douse. The strongest signal seemed to point towards the horizon.

_Level 8 complete_


	44. Adventure Mode: Level 9

Super Smash Bros vs Capcom

Adventure Mode

_Level 9: Skull Castle_

Megaman Volnutt panted as he forced his Drill Arm against the wall. After a few minutes of work, the dirt and stone barrier fell to pieces. Changing his arm back to normal, he wiped his brow and gave Samus a thumbs-up. "Done!"

Samus nodded and moved past him. "Good job. Now, stay behind me. I'll go first."

After beating Giwan, the digger and bounty hunter had walked down a long corridor. It seemed to go on for a mile, but there was no way to tell. They noticed some marks on the ground that suggested there had once been a rail system in place there; possibly used to move from one location to another. Luckily, the floor was flat enough for Megaman's Jet Skates, allowing them to speed up their trek. Megaman blushed slightly in memory of it, mainly because in order for both of them to use the Jet Skates, Samus had to be carried on the digger's back. While the Zero Suit she wore wasn't completely form-fitting, it still allowed Megaman to full her figure's shape as she rode him. Samus, for her part, was completely indifferent to the whole affair, and all she said about it was an admonishment that Megaman keep his focus.

_She sure is professional,_ Megaman thought, watching as Samus checked each corner, waving to him without looking back. _I wonder what kind of life she lives?_

Following Samus' directions, Megaman moved forward. It didn't take long for them to reach a wide open area. Megaman gazed about in awe and even Samus' composure faltered somewhat as she took in their surroundings.

Stage 1: Meele Manufacturing

The entire place seemed to be the insides of a grand, futuristic palace, albeit a bit on the damaged side. The walls looked like the innards of a computer modem. There were exposed circuits and wires at various spots on the metallic walls, lights, though functional, were on damaged fixtures. Things sparked randomly, and in some cases in different colors. There were also strange robots lurking about, bizarre aberrations that looked like someone had tried to combine two different styles of engineering, and succeeded haphazardly. The most normal-looking robot looked like some sort of green cyclops with a shield and a big metal plate attached to its head.

Samus blasted it. "Come on," She said, stepping over as it writhed on the floor.

The two moved forward dealing with any robot that happened to get in their way- which seemed to be all of them, in a sense. Bat-like orbs would fall down from the ceiling and charge them, cylinders with big eyes would appear from windows in the walls and float towards them, there was no end to it. However, the robots couldn't seem to make up their minds whether or not they really wanted to attack the pair. Some would walk away, only to charge at them at the last minute. Others would just remain still, then explode for no reason.

"Whoever built these things didn't do a very good job on their programming." Samus commented as she slashed at several cyclops' with a laser whip from her gun.

There were other traps to consider, as well. There seemed to be an alarming amount of pitfalls that pocketed the floor, and apparently they had been intentionally made. That alone wouldn't be a problem, but occasionally the robots would try to make jumping them difficult, though none were a match for Megaman and Samus' weapons. Also, bizarre blocks would just appear out of nowhere, and then disappear after a few seconds. Some of these were useful in crossing some of the larger gaps, though keeping up with the pattern and dodging the robots proved to be a challenge.

_What kind of madman designed this place?_ Megaman thought, jumping over a block and blasting two cylinders. A piece of shrapnel almost nicked his ear, and in trying to dodge it he found himself falling into a pit before Samus grabbed his arm.

"Hold on." She said, pulling the digger to the other side with her.

Further on there seemed to be a lower amount of pitfalls, but more dangerous robots. These robots seemed ape-like in overall build, and threw balls, big heavy balls at Megaman and Samus. Thanks to their buster gun and laser pistol, they were able to easily blast their way past these obstacles. Megaman was impressed by the agility Samus now had without her previous power suit. They soon came to a door at the end of the hall. It only took a few shots to bring it down.

Stage 1 end

Through the door, the pair found themselves confronted what looked like an army tank of arms…big arms. Megaman quickly put himself in front of Samus- she may have been older, (By how much, he'll never ask. He tries to be a gentleman) but it wasn't right to let the one without armor protect the one who did. Behind him, Samus prepared her laser pistol, ready to leap into action when the time came.

"FALCON PUNCH!"

Before either of them knew what was happening, a man in a blue uniform, a yellow scarf, and a red helmet with a visor leapt out of nowhere and slammed his fist against the tank-bot's top- a fist which seemed to be wreathed in red, bird-shaped flames. upon impact, the tank-bot began to tremble before collapsing at the seams, its metal being blown off by the force of the punch.

The newcomer leapt off of the robot and landed before Megaman and Samus, showing himself to be a well-built man- one that Samus knew quite well.

"Captain Falcon." The lady bounty hunter said.

"You know this man?" Megaman asked, completely stunned at what this captain had done.

Samus nodded, stepping around the digger. Captain Falcon gave Samus a short salute.

"Yo, Samus," He said, and nodded at Megaman as a greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same question myself."

Falcon shrugged. "I don't know how I got here, honestly. Last thing I know I'm at this bar in Sim City, next, I'm stuck in this giant future castle fightin' robots." He excluded the little detail that he was in a bathroom when the 'transfer' happened. _Who would install a warp zone in a toilet?! _Instead, he asked, "Either of you got a comm device? I need to make a call."

**AT WRIGHT'S**

It was closing time when the phone rang. Joe, the only one left in the establishment, stopped putting the glasses away and answered it.

"Hello?" He asked, resting his free arm on the counter. "Cap…? Where've you been, you disappeared, like, hours ago!" Joe frowned as he listened to Captain Falcon's dialogue on the other end. "Oh…okay, but what can I do?

"….Sure, it's still parked in the back. The owner was gonna have it towed, but I-

"Yeah…yeah…_heck yeah!_ Okay, what were those codes again?" Joe grabbed a pen and paper from under the cash register and quickly wrote some numbers down. "Got it. See you soon, Captain!"

Joe slammed the phone back on its receiver, shivering with excitement. Finally, a job for a _hero! _And not just any hero, oh no…

Joe could feel his V-watch glowing, mirroring the intense heat rushing through his blood. Striking a pose, he called out the phrase Captain Blue had taught him that day at the movies.

"_Henshin a-go-go, baby!_"

In a flash, Joe's normal street clothes were instantly replaced with a stylish red bodysuit with matching belt, and the V from the V-watch floated up and transformed into a helmet. Adding to that was a long pink scarf that flowed in the (Non-existant) wind. The hero of justice that now stood in the abandoned bar struck what he thought was a cool and sexy pose.

His transformation complete, Viewtiful Joe practically _bounced _out to the parking lot, ignoring the fact that he still had at least 34 glasses left.

It was dark out, and the only light the parking lot had came from a street light and a light fixture on the wall, shining down on Captain Falcon's pride and joy, the _Blue Falcon_.

Viewtiful Joe allowed himself a moment to stare in awe at it. Then, he strode forward and punched in the security code that would unlock the racer. Once the door opened up, Joe more or less threw himself into the driver's seat. Gazing at the undeniably _awesome_ controls, the hero tried to calm himself and remember Falcon's instructions. First, he turned on the stand-by computer. Then, he entered the emergency code that would allow him to drive. To drive it! Once the main systems were powered up, the _Blue Falcon_ asked for its first task.

"Let's get this party started…" Joe whispered, and with more volume said, "Computer, locate Captain Falcon!"

SCANNING_

FALCON'S HOMING DEVICE FOUND_

NOW ACTIVATING ENGINES_

"Yes!" Viewtiful Joe cheered, pumping his fist. His elation was cut off as the _Blue Falcon_'s abrupt acceleration pushed him into the back of his seat. It didn't help that he didn't put his seatbelt on, especially when the racer started making sharp turns.

**BACK AT THE CASTLE**

The train Haggar and Ness stowed away on had stopped at a station with a definite skull motif. Servbots were unloading supplies and other goods, no doubt stolen. Watching this from their hiding place, man and boy exchanged looks. They had found the robbers' lair.

"Eek!" A Servbot had seen them and was now pointing in their direction. "It's Haggar and that quiet boy! They're here!"

With their cover blown, Haggar and Ness came out into the open and prepared for battle. While Haggar tensed his muscles, Ness took out his baseball bat and pointed. Looks like they were going to have to fight their way out!

Stage 2: Bonne Pirates Central

It didn't take long for the station to become a riot scene- though Haggar would never admit to seeing a riot like one before him. The Servbots were running all about, desperately trying to stay ahead of the burly politician and his psychokenetic sidekick. Those that did try to fight did so at a distance- either by shooting with little pistols or tossing bombs- and sometimes they ended up hitting one of their fellows by mistake. With the Servbots' toy-like appearance, there was a surreal cuteness to it all.

Moving across the floor wasn't too much of a problem, but there were crates every which-way, forming a slipshod maze. For a man of Haggar's size, it wasn't a problem- he could easily step or climb over the bigger boxes- but poor Ness needed extra help. And every time Haggar bent back over to pull Ness over, it left him open for a cheap shot from a Servbot. Luckily, Ness' Psy attacks where very useful in blocking unfriendly fire- and giving it back with interest. Eventually the two came across a large elevator which they quickly commandeered. After scaring out any Servbots in it, Haggar hit the up button, closing the doors.

The lift went up a single floor before the doors opened again. The floor before them looked like a big hanger bay full of vehicles of one kind or another. Some were the walkers the Servbots used in their crime spree at Sim City. Others looked like comical digging machines- like oversized go-karts with a giant drill in front. There were flyers, artillery stands, the works, all armed.

And there were now pointing at Haggar and Ness.

Haggar hit the Up button again, but the doors didn't close- the Servbots must have cut the power from the lift.

"_Move!_" Haggar yelled as the guns began to fire.

Ness was already in motion. After dodging the initial salvo, he crouched down and released a bolt of energy. "_PK Thunder!_"

The blue-purple energy bolt soared around the hanger, striking and short circuiting any weapon unfortunate enough to be in its flight path. Haggar, meanwhile, was using the distraction to take his own initiative. Picking up one of the shorted walkers, he began to spin around like an Olympic athlete in the hammer toss event. This little stunt had the bonus of deflecting any shots that came his way, as well as battering any poor Servbot that were unfortunate enough to get too close. Once he let go, the walker flew- for a second, then it crashed into a set of drill cars. But even as the explosion shook the hanger, Haggar and Ness managed to get into another elevator. Like the first, this one only took them up a single floor.

The next floor was actually a cafeteria, of sorts. Grills, tables, and ovens had been strewn about, and Servbots busied themselves either cooking or eating. Once they saw the pair coming they panicked, and began to riot. As a result, grills and ovens were left unattended. Once the food being cooked reached a certain point, they would exploded, sometimes sending a Servbot flying. Between the two, Haggar was in more danger with his large size. Through it all, he and Ness found a third elevator.

They were left off onto a…well, it seemed like an obstical course of doom, in all honesty. (So said Haggar's thoughts) A sign on a wall said, "Torture Room". The entire path was littered with booby traps such as spikes jutting out of the floor, giant hammers that would swing down with the sole purpose striking someone on the head. There were also flame throwers, and boxing gloves attached to springs. Luckily for Haggar, the traps had been built for someone Servbot-sized in mind. Unfortunately for Ness, he was roughly the size of a Servbot. Haggar had to go first and use his size and strength to sabotage the torture devices and allow Ness to move through uninjured. There were no enemies, save a single Servbot lying flat on his face, his yellow head covered in scorch marks and dents. Stepping over him, Haggar and Ness reached the next elevator.

End stage

It was a longer ride than usual, which made Haggar and Ness think they were heading towards the top floor. Hopefully, that would be where the boss of this operation was hiding.

The elevator doors opened up to a large room, though not the size of the other rooms below it. It was sparsely decorated, with some machinery parts lying about. There was a desk with some drawing paper on it, and a bed with pink covers. There was also a wall of monitors with a single chair.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, huh?!"

Haggar and Ness turned to see a young, teenaged girl glaring at them while standing on top of a large green tank of sorts. She wore black pants, a pink shirt with a cute skull broach, and a black coat over it. Her black hair had been styled to look like a pair of fins sitting on her head.

"Don't you know better than to barge into someone's room without permission?!" She demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at the pair.

Ness was a bit put off by the girl's demanding tone. Or maybe it was that the tone came from a young lady. Even after all he had seen on his various adventures, he was surprised to see someone like her in this place. In any case, he held out a hand, prepared to unleash some Psi. No telling what this girl could do.

Haggar, on the other hand, wasn't affected in the slightest at the girl's appearance or attitude. And he knew _exactly _what to expect from her.

"Tron Bonne, your robots have been robbing Sim City," He growled, taking a step forward. "And you're gonna put a stop to it, or else!"

"Oh, _yeah?_" Tron sneered, "And what if I don't?"

Haggar said no words. The act of flexing a powerful arm muscle would be message enough. That is, if Tron remembered the last time they butted heads in the merger with the Marvel Universe.

But instead of being intimidated, Tron just laughed. "_O-ho-ho! _That's right, I forgot; you're some kind of wrestler. Well-" She pushed a button on her other wrist. "-_Piledrive this!_"

Out from the shadows came a giant- Servbot, that is. It was easily a colossus compared to the diminutive robots Ness and Haggar had seen on their journey, which meant that it's shoulders reached the top of the wrestler's head. And it wasn't simply tall- everything about the Servbot was gigantic, from its arms as thick as telephone poles, to its head, about the size and shape of a monster truck.

This last comparison proved to be very apt, as the Serv-giant's first act was to charge headlong at Haggar. Before he could move away, they were both on the floor, with the man being pressed down by the machine.

Ness, startled by how quickly these events transpired, looked from Haggar to Tron.

"…What?" Tron asked, raising an eyebrow. "Got something you wanna say?"

Ness quickly tensed himself and raised his hand. He knew how these things worked; the best way to stop a rampaging thing sometimes was to take down the one controlling it. And that meant giving Tron a taste of Psi!

"Oh, so you wanna fight, huh?" Tron realized this when she saw Ness' eyes. They were the eyes of one who would not back down no matter how outmatched they were (Which he certainly was). She had seen that look many times, especially in _him._ "Fine, then! But don't blame me when you get _hurt!_"

Tron hopped down into her 'tank', which soon proved to be no tank at all. It's body was shaped rather like a cauldron, it's body mostly green. It stood up on two knobby legs that made it looked rather comical, with large, imposing arms- one that had a three-barrel cannon in place of its fist. On the center of its front was a larger version of Tron's skull broach.

Sitting in the open cockpit, Tron gripped the Gustaff and directed it towards Ness. "Engage!"

_Ness vs Tron Bonne_

The first to act was Tron, though it was Gustaff that did the action. Namely, it fired a strange object from its cannon at Ness, a device that looked more like a land mine than a shell. Ness crouched down and unleashed a PK Thunder and destroyed the projectile while it was in transit.

Making an unhappy noise under her breath, Tron moved the Gustaff at Ness, planning to hit him while he was apparently off-guard. He certainly seemed to be distracted, crouched down like that. Maybe he was getting stomach pains, or was simply frightened from the explosion his power and the Beacon Bomb made on impact.

And that was Tron's first mistake in the battle. She didn't realize that the PK Thunder was still formed, having passed through the Beacon Bomb like an arrow through a balloon. Ness directed it through the air, steering it down at Tron's unguarded back. It would have been a clean hit, but Tron suddenly had the Gustaff jump, and the PK Thunder hit the machine instead. She still felt the impact, though.

"Gah!" Tron cried as the energy passed through her mech. Her entire body was electrified from the contact, though the cockpit's insulation provided decent protection. Angry, she slammed Gustaff's fist down at Ness, sending him flying with a blow to the head. Though Ness was able to surround himself with Psy, he still felt the impact of the punch _and _his sudden stop against the wall. In spite of that, he managed to get back up. He pulled out his baseball bat and pointed it at Tron, challenging her.

Tron wasn't going to let up that go. As the Gustaff thundered towards Ness, she tossed out a Servbot that had been dozing in the sniper's seat. The Servbot, now awake, ran over to where Ness was with intent to subdue.

WHHACK!

Tron had to duck as the Servbot went flying over her head, courtesy of Homerun Airlines. She quickly sent out a silent signal for other Servbots, provided that they weren't doing anything important, to drop whatever unimportant things they were doing and come right up.

Meanwhile, Gustaff continued on its epic, three second journey from where it was to where Ness was. Once it got close enough, it's body spun around, arms out. Ness managed to jump over the machine and zap Tron with some Psy power, but once he landed he received another powerful hit from the Gustaff.

The battle went on like that for some time- Ness, using his agility, Psy, and assorted toys to batter Tron with quick strikes whenever he could, and each blow he received from the Gustaff felt equal to three or four of his. Though he was able to protect against and avoid most of them, each one counted.

Ness realized that he had to make a powerful strike against Tron if he wanted to win this fight. Unfortunately, his strongest attack needed time to charge up, during which he would be helpless against whatever weapon Gustaff unleashed. Obviously, he needed a diversion

Gustaff was thundering down on Ness, it's right arm transformed into a drill. Ness positioned himself against the wall, biding his time. Once Gustaff was close enough, Ness kicked off the wall, using the boost to jump over the mech. While he was directly above Tron, he hit her with a PK Fire and ran to the opposite side of the room. With Tron distracted by her own burning, Ness prepared a PK Flash and focused both on building it up and moving it towards Tron. He had to get the timing just right, or the Psy blast would burn itself out.

"Ow, ow ow!" Tron wailed as she, and her Servbot, patted the fire out. Once it was gone she fixed Ness with a look that would have melted glass. She saw that once again he was crouched down and shivering. She quickly did a quick look around- he wasn't going to catch her with that weird move again! When she didn't see the PK Thunder buzzing around, she moved the Gustaff at Ness, flanked by a pair of Servbots.

Had Tron taken a moment to look closer, she would have noticed a small and bright flurry of blue/green power building up near one of the lights, getting bigger as it charged. However, because she was so fixated on Ness she didn't, nor did she see it move towards her. She felt its heat on her neck just before it exploded.

"PK Flash!"

"Auurrgghh!" Tron screamed as the Psy power burst on her, causing the Gustaff to collapse and dumping her out of the cockpit. "Uhhh…hate you…"

_End Battle_

It was at this time that Haggar managed to throw the Servbot giant off of him. Getting up, he saw the defeated Tron lying by her wrecked Gustaff, with her Servbots fussing over her. Ness was walking up to them, and he gave Haggar a thumb's up. The wrestler nodded, smiling. Looks like this case was all wrapped up.

Then the elevator opened, and out stepped Megaman, Samus, and Captain Falcon.

"Top floor; Bosses, treasure, and enough range to send out a signal." Falcon announced.

Megaman noticed a familiar figure lying on the floor. "Tron? Is that you?"

Tron, still somewhat dizzy from her fight with Ness, slowly pulled herself up. She only registered Megaman's words by a small margin, and so was caught off-guard when he marched up to her and took her hands.

"You're here, too!" The digger cried, "That's great!"

The realization that her crush was now touching her was enough to bring Tron to her senses. Her cheeks turning a faint pink, she said, "O-of course I'm here! Who were you expecting?" Taking away her hands, she turned away in an attempt to appear nonchalant. "So…glad to see _me_, hmmm?"

Megaman grinned. "You bet. You're the first human I've seen from our world. It's always good to see a familiar face."

That wasn't quite the reply Tron was hoping to hear. In her perfect world, it should have been, "I could barely stand to be away from you, my love! I missed you far more than I did that blond girl!" Not hearing Megaman say that soured the pirate girl's disposition a bit.

"Oh, so you would've been happy with anyone, huh!" Tron snapped, whirling on Megaman, who took a step back by reaction.

Haggar couldn't really believe what he was seeing. The little firebrand who was responsible for so much trouble was acting like a twitterpated schoolgirl. If it weren't for the fact that Tron was in so much trouble he would have been amused.

Samus, on the other hand, had less knowledge on Tron's history of criminal activities and therefore less reason not to laugh. Smiling wryly, a single, stifled snicker escaped her.

Tron heard it, and turned away to see who had snickered at her expense. When she saw Samus, her mood shifted from disappointed annoyance to a much greener and darker emotion. The fact that Megaman- _her man_ (in her mind)- had been in the company of an adult, attractive woman clad in a form-fitting suit put more fire to her ire.

"And who exactly is this woman supposed be?!" Tron shouted, glaring daggers at Samus, "Some sort of 'lady of the evening'?"

"No, it's not like that, Tron," Megaman said "I met her while exploring a ruin…" _Wait, why am I talking like a guy who's been caught with another woman by his girlfriend?_

Tron now had turned both barrels on Samus. "Don't you try putting any moves on Megaman, you hussy! There's no way you can beat me!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Samus replied dismissively. She looked down at Ness and smiled slightly. Yet another familiar face. Gesturing towards Tron, the bounty hunter asked, "What's her story?"

Ness quickly told her what he had seen the Servbots do, and what Haggar had told him.

While this soap opera was occurring, Captain Falcon was punching in commands on his wrist-mounted keypad, the visor on his helmet giving out readings. From the looks of things, his racer wasn't too far away...

The wall exploded as the_ Blue Falcon _came crashing through it. Unfortunately, this wall happened to be the one Tron was standing in front of, essentially sending the poor girl flying from her stand.

"WAAAH!" Tron wailed as she tumbled through the air.

"My God!" Haggar cried, jumping back in alarm.

"My ride!" Falcon cried, rushing towards the racing machine.

"My gosh!" Megaman cried, running to where the pirate was going to land. He didn't so much catch her as she fell onto him, sending them both to the floor. Falcon, meanwhile, had opened the _Blue Falcon _up to find Viewtiful Joe sprawled out in the driver's seat. His helmet was almost off of his head and his legs had become tangled up in his pink scarf.

"Uhhhhh…" Joe moaned.

"You didn't make a mess, did you?" Falcon asked, looking around the cockpit. Vomit was a pain to wash out of the seats and screwed with the controls something fierce.

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down. Once Captain Falcon was assured that his beloved _Blue Falcon _suffered minimal damage (And Joe had kept his mouth shut the entire ride) and that Tron had not been injured too much, the rest of those present gathered around Tron for an explanation.

"After the worlds merged- _Again_," Tron added irritably, "I got separated from my brothers, as well as your family," She said to Megaman, "While looking for them we found this castle and started using it as a base. Looks like it had been abandoned for about thirty years."

"And why were you robbing all of those stores?" Samus asked.

"Hey, food, water, and decent tech doesn't grow on trees, you know!" Tron shot back, "I have to survive somehow!"

"Looks to me that you're planning to do a lot more than survive," Haggar put in suspiciously, "What was all that weaponry for?"

"Well, a girl's got to protect herself somehow," Tron replied innocently, "I mean, a big place is a pretty inviting target to thieves."

"That's right!" A Servbot with a red cap piped up, "Plus, we needed-" He was cut off by a kick from Tronne. "Ouch!"

"Needed what?" Megaman asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tron, what are you planning?"

Tron gave the Servbot an irritated glare, but under everyone else's eyes gave in. Sighing, she pulled out a little remote and activated a monitor. The monitor showed a giant, ominous castle sitting in the middle of a volcanic wasteland. Samus raised an eyebrow. She had seen that castle before.

"One of my search parties found this huge fortress built on the outskirts," Tron explained, and giggled. "It's full of treasure!"

"And you were going to raid it." Megaman sighed. He should have guessed.

"You know it!" Tron beamed, and then looked thoughtful. "Of course, it's also full of monsters and other weird stuff. If I'm going to take this place, I'll need some serious weaponry on my side. No chance of that happening _now…_" She finished bitterly, giving Ness and Haggar a scornful look out of her eye's corner. "…_These _jerks ruined my operation!"

Haggar snorted unapologetically, while Ness looked fairly neutral.

"You wouldn't have done it even with an army," Samus stated. Everyone looked at her. "That's Bowser's Castle. He's ugly and stupid, but strong. Too strong for a head-on assault."

"Y'know, I was in Sim City a bit ago," Captain Falcon said conversationally, "His goons just attacked Peach's estate and kidnapped the princess."

Samus and Ness looked at Falcon suddenly.

"Peach has been captured?" Samus asked worriedly.

"Darn tootin'," Falcon nodded, "I was gonna go out and save her myself when I got…sidetracked."

"Wait, someone kidnapped a princess?" Joe asked, "People still do that?"

Samus and Ness exchanged worried looks. As far as both of them knew, the merger between worlds had scattered the people of both universes far and wide- There was no telling whether or not Mario had knew about Peach's abduction.

Before the discussion could go any further, the door to the stairs burst open, and in came Data in the company of another Servbot.

"Miss Trooonnn!" Servbot No. 40 wailed, waving its arms about.

"Huh?" Tron blinked. "What is it?"

"W-w-w- It's a monster!" No. 40 shrieked, "A horrible monster snuck into the castle!"

"What!?"

Data danced in a frenzied beat. "I was downstairs looking for something useful for you, Megaman, when all of this yellow goob just poured in through the vents! It all morphed into this giant monster and started wrecking the place!"

"A monster?!" Tron rushed over to the monitors and began to type onto the console furiously. Everyone gathered around her and looked. On the various screens they could see the shadow…_something_ crashing about, knocking over walls and other machines. It was hard to tell with the black and white footage.

"The reception sure is lousy." Captain Falcon commented.

"Gimme a break, this place was in ruins when I got here," Tron shot back, "We're lucky we can see anything."

"If you have any more helpers in this base, you had better alert them." Samus put in.

Tron nodded. Flipping a switch, she spoke into a microphone. "Attention all hands! Abandon base! I repeat, abandon base! Initiate evacuation procedures and get the heck out! Follow my homing beacon and rendezvous with me once you are in the clear! Tron out!"

By this time, Captain Falcon was already planted firmly in the driver's seat of the _Blue Falcon._ "Everyone, hop in!"

"I call shotgun!" Viewtiful Joe declared.

"Like heck you are!" Tron shouted, pushing past him.

There was a bit of a scuffle as those assembled tried to get into the F-Zero racer. It didn't help that Tron wanted to bring her ruined Gustaff along, and they had to spend a few minutes trying to jam the stupid thing in the _Blue Falcon_'s trunk. A combination of the limited space and the size of certain people meant that a few ended up sitting on someone else's lap, sometimes multiple people on single lap. (Tron, much to her joy and embarassment, found herself pressed against Megaman on his left…who, much to her fury, was also pressed against Samus on his right.)

Once they were all stuffed in, Captain Falcon shifted into high-gear, and the _Blue Falcon_ blasted through another wall.

Stage 3: Skull Hall

The _Blue Falcon _kept blasting through wall after wall on its intense quest to escape the castle. Luckly, the poor condition of the building made doing so rather easy. It didn't take long for them to enter a massive hall, which made the ride easier. Unfortunately, it also made it easier for robots like the ones Megaman and Samus encountered to latch on and attack the racer.

"Can't shake 'em off!" Falcon announced, "Someone's gotta get these hitchhikers off before they do some real damage!"

"I'll do it!" Megaman shouted. He was starting to feel the pressure of being between two pretty ladies, and all of the jostling around wasn't helping his blood pressure.

With some maneuvering, he pulled himself out and moved for the hatch on the roof of the vehicle. Once he was halfway out in the open, he saw Viewtiful Joe standing on the outside, his arms crossed and his scarf billowing heroically.

"Hey, how'd you get out here so quickly?" Megaman asked, confused.

Joe gave Megaman a cheesy thumbs-up. "A hero is always where he is needed!"

"There's a robot on your helmet."

"Gah!"

Megaman slapped the robot off, and he and began systematically shooting and punching every and any other robot on the racer. It was easy to do in itself, but the real trick was keeping balance. The road was uneven, and several times they almost fell off. Other obstacles came in the form of debris falling down as the castle collapsed all around them. And then there was…

"WAAAALLLLL!" Megaman and Joe screamed as the _Blue Falcon _approached the barrier. They scrambled to get back into the racer, almost knocking each other over in their haste. Megaman just barely forced himself in (Crushing Joe against Haggar) when they crashed into it. Daylight shone through the hatch's opening. They were out of the castle.

They were also in mid-air. The castle had been built on the side of a cliff. The _Blue Falcon _hovered in the air for a brief second before going into a nosedive. Captain Falcon pulled at the yoke, trying desperately to level them out. As he maxed out the thrusters in a bid to stabilize, he saw that more debris was coming down at them.

"More rocks from above!" the Captain yelled.

After another bout of maneuvering, Samus, Megaman, and Ness moved towards the top hatch and began to fire at the avalanche. The energy blasts took care of the larger shrapnel, leaving only small pieces of rubble to bounce harmlessly off of the _Blue Falcon_'s hull.

As this went on, Falcon decided on a gamble. Turning the thrusters, he had the _Blue Falcon _spin about, hoping to create a propeller effect. The result was mixed, as while the racer did level out (Kinda), the constant spinning caused it to go into a spiraling formation as it went down. Soon enough, it hit the ground…on it's side. After a minute, it fell over right-side up.

"Oof…that was a bumpy ride." Falcon grunted. Looking back, he asked, "Is everyone all right?"

"Ugh…" Tron moaned. She was slumped over, her eyes having become spirals. Ness, Joe, and Megaman were similarly afflicted, though not as visibly as Tron. Haggar and Samus also looked a bit disoriented, but they managed to keep their composer somewhat.

Shaking his head, Captain Falcon opened the cockpit and stepped out. Looking around, he saw that they were now in some kind desert. Not far away was a sheer cliff face, which the castle had been built on the top of. And exactly next to that was some kind of yellow gunk raining down from above.

…_Wait, what?_ Falcon thought.

the gunk then gathered together and rose, forming a giant, spherical being with a single red eye in the center. And that eye was now focused on the _Blue Falcon._

In the monster's malformed, mallard computer mind, only a single thought was remotely coherent.

_**Get…Mega…Man…**_

The Yellow Devil lurched towards the _Blue Falcon_. Seeing this, Captain Falcon quickly put himself between the monstrosity and the racer. No way was some goop creature hurt his baby!

…or the people inside it, that was important too…

At this time, Joe was pulling himself out from the _Blue Falcon _for some much needed fresh air. Also, he didn't want to be in the passenger seat when Tron lost the war against her upset tummy. But when he saw the approaching monster, the queasiness in his own stomach vanished in an instant. Shock and terror was an excellent medicine, and cheaper than whatever the pharmacist recommends. Straightening his helmet, Joe leaped to the Captain's side, striking another silly pose. Falcon gave him a weird look, then settled into a fighting stance.

_Boss Battle: Yellow Devil_

The Yellow Devil lurched forward, swinging his fists down. Falcon and Joe jumped in opposite directions, narrowly getting crushed. Upon landing they attacked the left and right arms respectively.

"_Falcon Punch!_" Captain Falcon delivered a flaming punch, causing the left arm to exploded messily.

Joe whipped out, aimed, and fired his Six Cannon, making the right arm explode just as messily.

The Yellow Devil glared as its arms reformed. Then, it took on a ball shape and bounced around, trying to squash the heroes. Falcon and Joe ran about, easily avoiding the Yellow Devil's slow movements. After four bounces, the Yellow Devil resumed its normal shape. Then, it shot out its right arm at Joe.

"Yow!" Joe cried, jumping up. He landed on the arm and found himself being pulled towards the Yellow Devil as it retracted its limb. In a panic, Joe threw his Voomerang and rolled off. The Voomerang struck the Yellow Devil's sole eye, and the gooey behemoth bellowed in pain.

Captain Falcon got it. "Looks like you hit it in its tender spot!" He told Joe.

Joe also got it. "Sweet!" After all, when fighting a monster that had a single area different from the rest of its body, you needed to hit that point!

The battle rhythm changed as Captain Falcon and Viewtiful Joe began to focus their efforts on hitting the eye. A feat that would have been easier, had the Yellow Devil remained in a single shape. Sadly, that was not to be. The Yellow Devil would split in two and fly at the pair like giant serpents…or slugs. However, only one mass had the eye, forcing Falcon and Joe to attack both halves in order to find it. The two masses were big and unwieldy, so the Yellow Devil, upon reforming, would become a slew of many, beachball-sized yellow blots, flying around in an attempt to bludgeon the two. This made finding the eye much more difficult, however, it became easier when Joe drew attention to the blot that was larger than the others. Sometimes, though, it would become a great, yellow tornado, making contact with the eye impossible…from the sides. In this state the eye would be stationed at the very top of the twister, in order to see.

"Cap, gimme a boost!" Joe cried.

Without saying another word, Captain Falcon ran up to and hurled Viewtiful Joe at the Yellow Devil twister. With a confident gleam in his eye and a smirk on his face, Joe punched his fist forward.

The Yellow Devil smacked him aside, sending him into the sand. Joe's legs wiggled as he tried to free his upper-half from the forced burial. The Yellow Devil resumed its humanoid shape and began to lumber towards the _Blue Falcon._

"Crud!" Falcon muttered, and dashed at the Yellow Devil. Once he had built up enough momentum, he launched into a flying kick. "_Falcon Kick!_"

The leg, wreathed in flames, connected, blasting the Yellow Devil's leg to pieces. With one leg gone, the Yellow Devil started to fall. Joe had pushed himself out of the desert at this time, and seeing the goliath's tumbling form, he whipped out several bombs at the Devil's eye. Only one bomb hit its intended target, but the other explosions caused ripples on the Yellow Devil's body. Both Joe and Falcon noticed this. Before, the Yellow Devil's gelatinous body had been completely unaffected by weaker attacks like Joe's bombs, or the Captain's non-Falcon strikes.

What they didn't know was that the gunk making up Yellow Devil's body was all controlled by its 'eye', which also contained its core processor. The core sent out instructions to the thousands of nanobots throughout the body, which in turn controlled the body's shape. With the damage from previous attacks starting to have their effect, the core was having difficulty functioning.

The Yellow Devil, upon reforming its missing leg, then split into not two, but _four _Devils. The clones were only about the height of Captain Falcon, and attacked Joe and Falcon two at a time.

"Yah!" Viewtiful Joe cried, sliding away as the Devils threw themselves at him from either side. This resulted in the two being mashed together in a messy manner.

Joe did a quick check and saw that neither of them had the eye. Spinning on his heel, he rushed towards Captain Falcon, who was having trouble preparing his Falcon Punch on the Devil with the eye while the eyeless devil kept attacking him. Joe threw his Voomerang at the eye, hitting it dead-on. The Yellow Devil quickly reformed as the damaged core tried to reboot. It's body rippled and jiggled like an oversized mound of gelatin on a

Falcon saw this as his big chance and ran forward, his fist burning with an unstoppable force. Joe saw what the Captain was doing and threw out a few bombs, putting them between Falcon and the Yellow Devil. They went off just as Captain Falcon reached them, but instead of harming the bounty hunter the force of the explosion sent him into the air, giving him the momentum he needed.

"FALCON _PUNCH!_"

The Captain's fist smashed directly into the eye, shattering it. The Yellow Devil trembled, then, bit by bit, it's body fell to pieces. It seemed like it was dissolving in the hot sun. It wasn't long before it became a cracked, red orb floating in a great puddle of watery mustard. The eye's light flickered a few times before going out…and then it exploded, causing the puddle to ripple.

"Well," Viewtiful Joe gave Captain Falcon a grin, "That's what I call a _meltdown!_" Off of Falcon's emotionless expression, he asked, "No good?"

"Needs work."

Joe sighed. Just then, they heard Megaman call out. "Captain Falcon? Tron just raffed!"

"Did not!" Tron shouted in a sickly voice as a foul odor wafted up through the _Blue Falcon_'s hatch.

Falcon gasped. "My upholstery!"

_Level 9 complete_

(A/N: Hello! It's been a while, I know. I've been a bit busy looking for a new job that I haven't had time to really focus on this, but it's not dead yet! If anything, it's being reincarnated! I'm re-doing several of the character bios. Just look back and find out which ones!)


	45. Adventure Mode: Level 10

_Level 10: Just Desert_

"Angel's log, #777; Having bravely escaped from the underground caverns, I resumed my journey to find the mysterious orbs. However, with the Wings of Pegasus' powers limited by the world-merge, I am forced to make my quest on foot…as usual.

"However, my progress is being hindered by a nefarious demon, who though helpful at one point, has become obsessed with harassing me every step of the way."

"Doing your own narration won't make me go away." Morrigan chided, playfully rolling her eyes.

Pit sighed, not even bothering to turn around. He knew that if he did, he would see the same thing he did the last time he turned to talk to Morrigan- the sight of her laying seductively on a swarm of bats that used to be her wings. Ever since they pulled themselves out from the underground caverns, Morrigan followed Pit around, either trading barbs with him or trying to tweak the angel with come ons.

"So, tell me more about this quest you're on," The succubus said, "How does getting some balls work for you?"

"Was that a legitimate question, or another veiled innuendo?" Pit asked cautiously.

"Legitimate. Though, now that you mention it…"

"I don't know how the Orbs are supposed to fix things!" Pit yelled quickly, determined not to let Morrigan complete her sentence. "But Lady Palutena asked me to retrieve them, and she's never steered me wrong before."

"So, you're just an errand-boy after all," Morrigan sighed, "Doing your duty without a second thought. Typical angel."

"Hey, I have faith in Lady Palutena," Pit defended himself, "Besides, I'm sure if we hadn't been cut off from each other, she would have told me why these balls- these _Orbs _are so important."

"If you insist," Morrigan let her eyes wander upward and then focused on something. "What is _that?_"

Pit followed Morrigan's gaze and saw it too; far in the sky was a massive vessel held up by helicopter blades and pushed by a pair giant rockets that had a giant rudder sandwiched between them. It looked like the lovechild of a 18th century galleon and a helicopter- _several helicopters_, in fact.

"Oh God, is that thing made of wood?" Morrigan asked, somewhat bewildered by the sight.

"That's the Airship I fell from!" Pit exclaimed, "Come on! There's another Orb there!"

Pit ran off, kicking up a small amount of sand in his wake. Smirking, Morrigan began to follow, and then paused. Glancing back, she glared at the shadow of a particularly large rock. After a moment, she shrugged and went after Pit.

_Stage 1: Valley of the Grain_

Angel and demon ventured across the sand, and at first it was a simple matter of avoiding pitfalls and min-canyons that littered the way- for Pit, at least. Morrigan wasn't really used to this sort of adventuring, and several times almost fell because she didn't pay attention to her footing.

"Not very good at this, are you?" Pit teased. After taking the brunt of Morrigan's jabs, it was nice watching her lose her composure.

"Oh, shut up," Morrigan's head-wings flapped peevishly. "Some of us prefer head-on duels to all of this running around."

"Well, it's the jumping you should worry about, not the running."

The path had dangers other than death from falling, of course. The desert was filled with dangerous creatures, such as giant scorpions popping out of the ground ("They're not so big…" Pit commented, "I mean, puppy-sized, yeah, but not what I'd call _giant_."), vultures swooping down from the sky, which were unceremoniously killed by Morrigan, and finally, cacti coming to life and trying to impale the two onto their needles. ("Seriously?" Morrigan remarked.)

As they went further on, the Airship seemed to go lower in the sky. At first, it appeared to be disappearing into the horizon, but the pair noticed that, slowly but surely it started to become larger from their perspective.

"It's landing?" Pit asked, confused. "What for?"

"Either it's having engine trouble or there's something here. Either way…" Morrigan's eyes shined with anticipation. "Sounds fun."

And so they journeyed on. Along the way, the local fauna changed from desert-themed to Koopa-themed. Koopa Troopas and Goombas of all kinds littered their path, which were summarily dispatched with ease by Pit and Morrigan. Though, there was this cute incident were a Troopa shell ricocheted off of a wall and got Morrigan in the head. The circling birdies vanished the minute Pit started laughing, as the demoness glared daggers at the angel.

"Hey, you're the one who was bored." Pit defended.

"Forgive me when I say that unlike _some _I could mention, my taste in entertainment is bit more _mature_." Morrigan replied coldly, rubbing her forehead. She hoped she didn't develop an ugly lump.

They kept going, bashing Koopa creatures and desert vermin aside until they reached a fenced off area. In the center of the circular space was a ramshackle podium made from scrapped timber, on top of which stood a wooden chest with a giant, metal lock.

"What do you think is in there?" Pit asked Morrigan, gesturing to the chest (The WOODEN one, you perverts) with his bow. "Let's check it out!"

Morrigan raised an eyebrow. "And why should we do that?"

"Because _everyone_ knows you find useful stuff in random treasure chests! C'mon!"

Pit shot the rusty look off of the fence's mangled gate. The gate fell in, allowing the pair to enter. Morrigan watched bemusedly as Pit jogged up to the podium.

"Isn't breaking and entering, as well as stealing someone else's property a bit _evil _for an angel?" She asked with _faux_-curiosity resting her chin in her palm.

Her words took a step out of Pit's stride, though he recovered on the next. "Yeah, I suppose, but I'm a quest to save the world on the order of my Goddess, I'm sure no one will mind," He said, "Besides, it might be a weapon these Koopas have, so taking it out of their hands is a good thing!"

"Some of them don't have hands." Morrigan pointed out.

"Okay, so we might be taking something dangerous out of their fangs," Pit countered, "Anyway, let's be careful. Usually, these things have a monster or something lurking nearby-"

Predictably, before Pit could finish his sentence a big, scaly fist burst out of the sand, clocking him in the jaw and knocking him back into Morrigan's front. Morrigan, for her part, was less interested in the angel in her cleavage and more focused in the giant turtle that just appeared, bigger than the normal Troopas, and swinging a pair of well-toned arms.

"You ain't getting this!" Boom Boom growled, and charged at the two.

Morrigan held Pit to her and jumped over Boom Boom as he ran underneath her. Managing to stop himself before hitting the fence, Boom Boom whirled about and made another a series of charges at the demon and angel. However, rather than just avoid his assaults, Pit used his bow and fired a slew of light arrows at the Koopa, causing slight damage.

Not one to be outdone, Morrigan also got into the fight. But instead of blasting away at their attacker with her demonic energy, she choose a more personal approach; When Boom Boom's spinning tackle brought him close enough, she let him have it with an overhead kick, bringing her heel down on his head.

"OWWW!" Boom Boo shouted when she did it the first time, "That's _sharp! _What'd you do, put that shoe on a grindstone!?"

Morrigan chuckled darkly. "Maybe."

It didn't take long for Boom Boom to go down. Two against one were never good odds, and after taking several hits Boom Boom fell back on his shell, his eyes spinning.

With that taken care of, Pit hopped up onto the podium and opened the chest. Inside of it was an orb very much like the one he and Morrigan found underground. Pit held it up for all to see.

You got the Orb! (Now get down before you fall and break something)

_Stage 1 complete_

Hopping down, Pit noticed that Morrigan's eyes were darting this way and that. "What's up? Don't tell me that you're bored _already!_"

"No, your heroic pose is quite…compelling," Morrigan murmured, her gaze narrowed. "But…it feels like something is missing…" _That dark presence that's been following us…where did it go?_

**ELSEWHERE**

Ganondorf raced towards the now grounded Airship as fast as he could run. He didn't even bother hiding his presence in the darkness and shadows. While he had originaly followed Pit and Morrigan in hopes that they would lead him to a second Orb. However, that plan was abandoned when he sensed the power inside the flying battleship. Not only could he feel the presence of an Orb, but there were other great forces kept within. One was very dark- no doubt the being Pit described to Morrigan- but it was one of the others that gripped his focus so.

_No doubt about it…_ Ganondorf thought, kicking up sand with his pace. _Zelda's in that ship! Not only is an Orb within my grasp, but I can claim the Triforce of Wisdom as well!_

…_And woe to _any _who would get in my way._

_Stage 2: Crashed Landing_

As Ganondorf ran towards the Airship, he saw a small party of Koopa Troopas coming away from it.

"I still don't see why we couldn't land closer to the site." One grumbled.

"I just hope we'll be able to take off," Another said, "Whaddya think happened with the engines?"

"I hear it's because Rocky Wrench was using zombie juice as a coolant," A third remarked, "Magikoopa sure was upset when he found out…"

"All right, quit talking," The Troopa leading the party snarled, "The heat's bad enough without listening to all your…Hey, who's that?"

By this time, Ganondorf had caught up with the Koopas. With his mouth curved into a feral grin, the evil thief clenched his fist and gathered dark power around it.

"I think it's that guy from last time…Ganon-something," The first Koopa remarked, and began to wave. "Heeey! Gaaanon! What are ya doing out here?"

BOOM!

Ganondorf pressed forward, leaving behind the burnt, bruised, and shell-less bodies of the Koopa Troopas in his wake.

"You…didn't have to shout…" The Koopa Troopa coughed before falling unconscious.

Dodging pitfalls, inappropriately placed cacti and other traditional desert obstacles, Ganondorf mused on what he had heard from the Koopa Troopas.

_The Airship is damaged, is it? That could be bad…I don't have enough power to leave this arid wasteland by myself…_

Pressing on, Ganondorf soon reached the landing site of the Airship. Evidently it's landing was not a soft one. The ship was tilted slightly as its hull was partially into the sand. There were Koopa creatures mulling all around it, trying to adjust its position by pulling at it with ropes. It was, as far as Ganondorf could tell, a completely useless endeavor. The Airship was so large that even if all of them pulled at once, it's position wouldn't budge an inch. There was scaffolding set up everywhere to help them up towards the ropes. Ganondorf couldn't have asked for a more perfect arrangement. Rather than go in through the front door (Which was probably buried in the sand or elevated beyond reach), he could just use the scaffolds to reach a porthole and enter the Airship through that.

The Koopas were too busy with their own pointless efforts to notice Ganondorf at first, and continued to stupidly tug at the Airship. Rather than go out of his way to alert them to his presence, Ganondorf simply stuck to the shadows caused by large rocks or equipment that had been displaced from the Airship in the crash. Once he reached the scaffolding, however, that changed. The Evil King of Thieves was in no mood to tarry, and forced himself upwards at a hurried pace, knocking Koopas off left and right as he jumped and climbed up the structures.

One Goomba, clinging to a rope by his teeth, said, "Mmey, jour mammon, marn't moo!"

"What?" Ganondorf asked, pausing to regard the mushroom creature.

The Goomba spat out the rope to talk clearly. "I said, 'you're Ganon, aren't you- AAARRGH!'" Without something to hold on, the Goomba went plummeting.

Without a second glance, Ganondorf continued his ascent. He jump from one scaffold to another, occasionally using ropes whenever he couldn't find a ladder. Of course, there were flying Koopa creatures to deal with as well. Paratroopas and Paragoombas kept buzzing about him in a vain attempt to knock him back down, but they were easily dealt with. One particularly determined Lakitu littered Ganondorf's path with Spikeys, trying to get the evil thief to suffer the "Agony of De-feet", which proved to be rather pointless when put against Ganondorf's dark power. However, all of the fighting caused the scaffolding to become unstable- it began to collapse, forcing Ganondorf to ascend at a much faster rate lest the floor give out under his feet. Luckily, a porthole was within sight. Taking great leaps, (And using Paratroopas stupidly hovering in a path as stepping stones) Ganondorf managed to grab the edge of the porthole with one hand. With his free fist, he broke the glass and then pulled himself inside.

The first thing Ganondorf saw a flagpole of sorts. With a disgusted frown, he shattered it with a punch.

_Stage complete_

Now inside, Ganon decided to enter 'stealth mode'. Becoming one with the shadows, he cast out his senses for Zelda's location. He soon found her, but something felt off...Almost as if something different had been tossed in.

**CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS**

M. Bison sat in his chair, staring at the image being projected from Magikoopa's wand passively. Well, he was passive on the inside. An outside observer would think that illusion of Bowser Koopa had the Shadowloo leader's undivided attention. Bison prided himself on his poker face.

"…So Wesker said he got Princess Peach, so I GUESS you're off the hook," Bowser said, "But don't screw up again, got it?"

"I assure you, such a thing will not happen," Bison replied evenly, "In fact, I have good news for you. Not only did I retrieve another Orb at the amusement park ruins, but I have two more specimens for Wesker to work on."

"Huh? Really?" Bowser grunted, "Who?"

Bison smirked. "One is a wolf, of a breed I'm not familiar with. It is quite the canine. It possesses powers that can block even _my _Psycho Power."

"That right? This must be one heckuva dog!" Bowser chuckled before asking, "What's the other one? A big cat, or something?"

"No, a girl," Bison explained, "In fact, one could say she would make a fair replacement for the lost Princess Peach. She has quite a power within her."

"Really? Who's this wonder girl?" Bowser asked.

"Dunno, but she kinda reminds of that Zelda princess from last time," Magikoopa answered, "She's gotta triangle mark on her hand like Zelda did, that's for sure."

"You've got Zelda?! I don't believe this!" Bowser guffawed loudly, "That's great!"

"And once _your_ men collect the next orb and repair the damage they've done to the Airship, we will return to the Castle immediately," Bison finished, "Unless you have anything you'd like to add?"

"Naw, that's fine. Just get here," Bowser replied, scratching himself. "Wesker's on his way too, so we'll have the whole gang assembled," He began to laugh again. "Zelda! This is gonna be excellent!"

And with that, the light vanished from Magikoopa's wand, and once it did the wizard visibly relaxed. Even when he was bellowing at someone else, the Koopa King was scary when upset. Luckily, it seemed that Wesker recapturing Peach, as well as their finding another Orb and getting Zelda had defused Bowser's temper somewhat…for now.

Bison allowed himself a nasty grin. What he didn't tell Bowser (Or indeed, anyone else, even his own Dolls) was that before having Zelda imprisoned, he put a little _something _

inside of her, to keep her compliant…and _obedient. _Should someone try to take her away, like Megaman did with Peach, they would find resistance from the most unlikely sources.

"That went pretty well," Magikoopa remarked, placing his wand into one of the folds of his robe. "Let's go see how Rocky Wrench is doing with the engines. That lousy mole better have sorted everything out, or…"

But Bison wasn't paying attention to the Koopa wizard. Instead, the leader of Shadowloo was staring elsewhere, technically looking at a wall, but his gaze focused on something out of sight.

"Something got aboard the Airship." Bison said, making Magikoopa look at him in confusion. Then, there came a loud thud from somewhere within the Airship.

"_Now _what?!" Magikoopa groaned, and teleported from the cabin. this was going to be one of those days, for sure!

Bison did not move, at first. Then, his eyes narrowed and he strode out of the room, his cape billowing behind him.

**AIRSHIP'S BRIG**

Her body was held down by chains coated with a power almost as bad as Yami's, but Amaterasu was not completely imprisoned. Though there was a school of thought that claimed being chained down wasimprisonment enough, this belief did not take the existence of 'traveling artists' into account. And the lock's _insides _didn't have any dark power surrounding it...

"One…more…push!" Issun's voice echoed out from within the chain's lock. This was followed by a loud crack and him yelling, "Augh! My back!"

Okay, maybe she was completely imprisoned.

Issun pulled himself out from the lock, looking more like the bug people mistook hi for with his crawling. "This is hopeless, Ammy. There's no way I can pick this lock…I might as well try drawing up a key or something!"

Amaterasu stared at Issun, cocking her head.

Issun slapped his forehead. "Doy!"

A few minutes later, the chains were off, and Amaterasu blasted her way through her cell.

_Stage 3: Airship Bowels_

Amaterasu ran through the deep recesses of the Airship, while Issun clung to her fur.

"Okay, now that we've got outta that cage, let's see if we can find out where that Zelda cutie was put!"

Amaterasu 'ruffed' in response, leaping over a chain that was hanging from one wall to the other across. It might have been an obstacle for anything that couldn't jump very well. There other chains ahead of the Goddess, set up in more imaginative patterns. Amaterasu had to jump very carefully in order to get through.

Then, she sensed it. The power that had been inside Zelda, it was near. Looking around, Amaterasu saw a door that had several chains over it. A simple usage of Brush Technique Slash was enough to send the links clattering to the floor. Thankfully, the door was the kind that opened by pushing, as a wolf like Amaterasu would never have been use the door knob (No opposable thumbs). Forcing her way into the room, Amaterasu sniffed the air as Issun bounced about on her head.

"Hellooo? Ms. Zelda? Yoo-hoo! Are you here?" The 'Traveling Artist' called out, before remarking, "Geez, it's dark in here. Where's the light switch?"

Amaterasu's answer was to paint a small sun into the room with the Sunrise Brush Technique. With the false star's illumination, they saw that this room was very much like the one Amaterasu had been trapped in; dirty and featureless. Not even a window to look out of. However, they saw a figure lying in a corner, though it wasn't as filled out as Issun would have liked. However, it was Zelda's, and that was good enough for Amaterasu.

"There she is," Issun commented as the Goddess padded over to the maiden. "Looks like she's in good shape, overall…I mean, we haven't seen her since they stuck us in that cell with those awful chains. I sure hope that guy in red didn't do anything weird to her…"

Amaterasu stopped. Zelda's eyes had opened, but the iris' weren't the same color they were before. In fact, she didn't have irises at all- her eyes were now completely purple, before shifting towards a dirty yellow color. Amaterasu jumped back in alarm, almost causing Issun to fall off.

"Gah!" Issun yelled, struggling to keep his grip Amaterasu's nose.

Zelda began to rise, her body limply dangling like a marionette whose strings were being manipulated by an novice puppeteer. Her skin turned a pale, sickly green, and there was a flash of purple light. When it faded, Zelda was wearing a white dress with a purple shirt, with a front adorned with a triangle and bird symbol. Her shoulders had gold-plated armor on it, and there was a tiara of sorts on her head.

"For…Master Bison…" Zelda murmured, a sword appearing in her hand.

_Zelda vs Amaterasu_

With a wave of her sword, Zelda sent a ball of Din's Fire at Amaterasu, who leapt around it and charged at Zelda. The disc on back of Nippon's sun Goddess transformed into a sun, and she slashed at Zelda several times. Every time the blade connected, Zelda's body flashed purple, as if something inside was reacting to Amaterasu's power.

After the fifth or sixth slash, Zelda teleported away on Farore's Wind, reappearing behind Amaterasu, blasting her with random magic. Yelping in pain, Amaterasu leapt forward, almost hitting her head against the wall. Whirling about, Amaterasu sent out a huge gust of wind, pushing Zelda back. Changing her sword into a beaded necklace, the Goddess rushed at Zelda and began to attack, but Zelda deflected it with Nayru's Love. The Hylian then rushed forward, sending out more of Din's Flame, which Amaterasu dodged.

Amaterasu could sense a vile energy within Zelda, the same dark power that the one called 'M. Bison' was brimming with. She knew she had to purify Zelda of it, but first she had to stop Zelda's attack!

What followed was a mad series of magical explosions as Goddess and Goddess-reincarnation to blast each other in smithereens, in a variety of ways. Amaterasu's quick reflexes and four-legged nature allowed her to dodge the smaller blasts from Zelda, and whenever something bigger came Amaterasu would nimbly dart around it. Then, the Sun Goddess would try to hit Zelda with either her sword or beads, though Zelda would either deflect it with Nayru's Love or teleport away on Farore's Wind.

But as the fight went on, Zelda's body seemed to move slower, and her bursts of magic were less powerful. Realizing that the evil power controlling her body was weakening, Amaterasu knew that she had to act. Using the Brush Technique Slash, Amaterasu cut Zelda's sword in half, and the possessed Hylian dropped the useless blade to the floor. Zelda was briefly stuned by this action, and the Sun Goddess leapt upon the opportunity- and the Spirit Maiden. The force pushed Zelda back, and she hit her head against the wall. The Hylian went down, and didn't get back up.

_End battle_

"Good job, Ammy!" Issun applauded, before adding awkwardly. "But, did you really have to beat her up? Gonna make getting her out really hard…"

Amaterasu ignored him. She the used the Brush Technique Restoration, and Zelda's body briefly glowed. After a few seconds, Zelda's pallor returned to normal, and the Spirit Maiden pulled herself up, blinking sleepily.

"What…happened?" She asked no one in particular.

"Are you okay, Zelda?" Issun asked, bouncing up and down on Amaterasu's nose.

"Yes…" Zelda shook her head, trying to regain her senses- and sense of self. Bison's mind control had affected her on a much deeper level, disrupting the energies of the Triforce that had somehow become part of her body. Ever since she touched the Orb at the amusement park ruins, Zelda had become vaguely aware of her past lives- or was it her future lives? With the universe disrupted by the merging of worlds, what was and will be were completely out of sync. It was hard to keep her mind stable and not be overwhelmed by the random influx of information, and if she wasn't careful she would forget who she was entirely. Thankfully, both the Triforce and Amaterasu's restorative spell were easing the turmoil in her head.

"In that case, let's run!" Issun declared, "I think the whole ship might have heard your tussle, and if we want out we got to go before some guards show up!"

"No," Zelda said firmly, "We can't leave yet. We have to get the Orbs from M. Bison."

"What? Why!?" Issun cried out, "Can't we just go while the getting is good?"

But Amaterasu understood what Zelda wanted. That Orb contained dangerous power, power that an evil man like Bison can use to put others under his control like he did with Zelda.

With that in mind, the two (Well, three if you counted Issun, but no one ever did) returned to the corridor. Like Issun predicted, someone _did _hear the duel between celestial powers, and the now the hall was filled with Koopa creatures. Not that it mattered much, as Zelda and Amaterasu were able to blast aside any that came too close.

However, the Koopas were not one to remain punching bags. A few set up a few cannons further up, firing Bullet Bills at the pair. Getting in front of Amaterasu, Zelda cast Nayru's Love, blocking the living artillery shells, and continued to do so as she and the Sun Goddess moved forward, until they got close enough to leap over the cannons, sending the Shy Guys operating them running.

Going upwards proved to be a slightly tricky matter, though. For some reason, the makers of the Airship neglected to include stairs. Instead, the way between floors was a shaft, with platforms sticking out of the walls. While Amaterasu and Zelda were able to make their way up with ease, one couldn't help but wonder how the non-flying shipmates were able to get around.

On the next level, things were much less straight-forward. Because of the crash-landing, much of the flooring had been damaged, resulting in pitfalls and jagged timber acting as obstacles. Zelda and Amaterasu were able to by pass them easily at first, but something changed. The corridor's position shifted as the ship tilted back and forth, and began to tremble.

"What's going on?!" Issun cried, "Are we sinking?!"

Zelda figured out what was going on in an instant. "The Airship…_it's taking off!_"

Now there were boxes sliding all over the place, which meant the two not only had to work to keep their footing, but also had avoid being knocked around. Eventually, they came across a large red door with spikes on.

_Stage complete_

**MAIN HOLD**

Zelda and Amaterasu looked about their surroundings. A great darkness lay out before them, with little illumination provided by portholes leading outside- one of which was being obscured by a pair of bodies entering in the ship.

"And we're in!" Pit declared as his sandals hit the floorboards. He ducked to avoid being hit by Morrigan's sweeping legs as she also came in through the porthole. With a figure far more curved than Pit's, the effort required some maneuvering.

Amaterasu lifted her head and panted happily as she caught sight of the familiar face. She wasn't the only one.

"At last!" Issun cried out happily, "After being trapped in this desert, the valley of paradise lies before me!"

Issun jumped off of Amaterasu's head and hopped over to Morrigan. Just before he could reach his final destination, the demoness' hand shot out and caught the celestial envoy between her thumb and index finger. "Ack!"

Morrigan rolled her eyes with disdain, but warmed up when she saw the Sun Goddess padding up to her. Keeping Issun compressed between her digits, she bent down to scratch Amaterasu behind the ears with her free hand.

Pit was distracted by this comedy routine by the presence of a far fairer maiden. "Zelda? You're here, too?"

"Pit." Zelda replied, more as an affirmation of his presence than an answer to his redundant question. She knew (Technically) who he was due to the Triforce and her past lives, and he knew her from the last merger of worlds- but it was still awkward.

Then the lights turned on. And the four realized they weren't alone.

Standing in the center of the hold was a large beast. It was a massive, hideous, insect-like thing. It had a green shell on its back, with pulsing brown flesh, jagged claws, a three-fanged maw, with patches of green fur visible under the shell. Its segmented green eyes twitched while its elongated neck twisted as it surveyed the good guys.

"Ugh, what is that thing?" Morrigan asked with a mild amount of disgust, putting Issun crushed body back on Amaterasu's head. "It's hideous."

"I dunno," Pit replied, wincing as the thing drooled a bit. "Sure glad it's in that cage."

Hiding in the shadows, Ganondorf chuckled darkly. Pretending to grasp the cage's lock with his right hand, he snapped the fingers of his left hand. The lock became undone in a crackle of dark energy, falling to the floor and making an ominous thud once it landed. The cage's door swung open with an even more ominous creak as all present watched this happen. The creature cautiously put its foot out, looking almost comically as if it were testing whether or not it could leave its cage. The it leapt out and roared, making a disgusting roar.

"Whoop! My bad!" Pit gulped, taking out his Bow. Amaterasu's hackles rose and she growled, while Zelda put her hands together to channel some magical energy. Morrigan, for her part, gave the shadows a glance before focusing her gaze on the approaching monster.

_Boss Battle: Arachnus_

The first thing Arachnus did was slash at the air with its claws, creating blades of energy that shot towards the four. Maiden, angel, demoness, and Goddess leapt in separate directions to avoid being sliced to bits. From different angles, the four blasted at the alien beast with their respective magics. Arachnus curled up into a ball, and his shelled body shook as holy and unholy energy impacted it. Rather than uncurling, Arachnus began to roll around the hold, getting faster and faster as it went. Although no one was hit by the rampaging alien directly, poor Zelda received a high-speed scrap to the shoulder as Arachnus brushed past, knocking her to the floor. Arachnus, meanwhile, eventually hit the wall, coming to a shaking halt.

"It's stopped moving!" Pit yelled, cocking his bow. "Let's get it!"

"Save your arrows," Morrigan told the angel, not letting her eyes off of the alien. "We can't get it like that."

"What?"

"Its armor is too strong," Zelda explained, pulling herself up. "We have to strike at its underbelly."

At this point, Arachnus had turned around. Hissing in fury, it raised its claws, as if to unleash more slashes. Taking point, Pit and Morrigan let the alien have it with some shots of their own, and this time the divine and demonic energy definitely had an effect on Arachnus. The creature reeled back in pain, shrieking as its flesh was battered by the bolts. Amaterasu leapt forward and slashed at the creature with her sword, but by this time Arachnus was tired of taking hits and decided to fight back. But instead of slashing, a blast of fire came from its maw. Amaterasu gave a yelp, bounding away to avoid being seriously burned. Arachnus began to roll around again, heading towards Zelda, but the Spirit Maiden was ready this time. Just before the alien could run her down, Zelda cast Nayru's Love, surrounding herself in a prism-like forcefield. The result was Arachnus bouncing off of the spinning blue shield like a tennis ball thrown, landing flat on its back, flailing its claws in confused fury.

Morrigan, seeing her chance, turned her wings into a jet and launched herself at the alien, and once close enough swung her leg down to deliver a crushing kick into its gut. Rather than slowing the alien down, Arachnus took the blow as a message to quite screwing around and in less than a second was back on its hind legs, unleashing slashes. Down to her close proximity, Morrigan was struck several times, and flew back to recover. Pit, meanwhile, blocked the slashes with the Mirror Shield, and once Arachnus stopped its assault he fired several shots from his Bow. However, only one hit its mark as Arachnus curled up again and rolled at Pit, moving much faster than it did before. Luckily, Amaterasu was already in motion and pulled the Captain of Palutena's army to the side by the skin of her teeth, just missing the alien's assault. But instead of hitting the wall like that time, Arachnus stopped, uncurled, and whirled about to unleash more fire from its maw, this time at a much larger capacity. Zelda then had an idea. Casting Din's Fire, she sent the ball of pyrokenesis towards the alien and _into _the maw(It was tricky- she had to maneuver the fire around the flames caused by Arachnus)! Arachnus paused- then clutched its chest as smoke wafted out of its maw. Morrigan, Pit and Amaterasu leapt on this opportunity, and began to strike at the alien. In the end, Morrigan delivered another sweeping kick, sending Arachnus flying flat on it's back. The alien struggled a bit, then went limp. It's left leg spasmed once before rigor mortis set in.

No one moved. After a moment, Pit cautiously leaned forward and nudged Arachnus' claw. When the alien didn't' react, everyone relaxed somewhat.

"Well, that happened." Issun remarked as Amaterasu sniffed Arachnus' corpse.

"But how did it get loose?" Pit asked, "I mean, that lock looked pretty secure a minute ago. Couldn't have just broke by itself…"

Morrigan cast her eyes around the hold, but saw nothing. She and Zelda's gazes met, but before anything could be done a cage appeared around them!

"Whoa! Where'd this cage come from?!" Pit cried out in alarm. He reached out to touch the bars- and reeled back in pain. "_Ow! Hot!_"

Amaterasu sniffed the cage sniffed and growled; It was the same as the chain that held her in the brig, only this time the energy was more potent and concentrated. Issun wouldn't be able to cut the lock this time.

Morrigan wasn't concerned with the cage. she was looking past the bars and at the presence approaching them. "M. Bison."

The leader of Shadowloo, flanked by his Bison Dolls, strode up to the cage, his hands tucked behind his back and into the folds of his cape. On his face was a grin that seemed equal parts devilish and psychotic as he took in his captives.

"Well, well, Lady Aensland," Bison said, "I didn't think I would see you again. It's been too long, my dear."

Pit's focus was pulled from his hand to Bison, then Morrigan. "You! You two…know each other?"

"We've met," Morrigan said flatly, never letting her eyes off of Bison. "I was hoping the man you described earlier wouldn't be this one…but when have a demon's prayers been answered?" She had never really liked the criminal, having met and fought him during the second time her universe and another's were merged. The man was just so…unbalanced. His soul had the feel of a factory's industrial runoff.

Bison chuckled darkly. "How poetic, though your killing that alien we captured could of used more finesse. At the very least, I should thank you for bringing me another Orb."

Bison raised a hand, and Pit gasped as the Orb he and Morrigan retrieved suddenly floated out of his robes and into Bison's grip.

"No! Give that back!" Pit yelled, running up to the bars. Both Zelda and Morrigan had to stop him from making contact and burning himself.

_His power's increased, _Morrigan thought, _Is it because of these Orbs?_

Zelda, meanwhile, asked, "Why do you want those Orbs? What good are they to you?"

Bison turned his back on Zelda and walked away, saying, "Such concerns…Will be the least of your worries."

As Bison and his Dolls left their new prisoners alone, Magikoopa appeared before them in a puff of purple smoke and pretty sparkles.

"Mr. Bison, I've got good news and bad news," He reported, "Good news, the ship's engines are fixed. We'll be able to reach the castle."

"And the bad?"

Magikoopa looked a bit evasive. "You know that intruder that was reported earlier? The guards couldn't find him. It's like he's vanished off the face of the world!"

"Have you identified him, at least?" Bison asked.

Magikoopa adjusted his glasses. "Yeah. And that's the bad news- It's Ganon, a nasty warlock from Hyrule. We could be in big trouble if he finds out about the Orbs."

Bison hummed thoughtfully. He could still feel a dark presence aboard, but Morrigan was now caged- it couldn't be her. "Maintain our course, but continue searching the ship. If they find _anything_, they are to report it to me immediately."

Magikoopa nodded, and began to relay the orders through his wand. As he spoke, Bison considered everything that was happening. Everything was falling into place- He had _three _Orbs, one that the Koopas didn't know about, and had even captured Morrigan along with this Zelda girl that Bowser was interested in. It would only be a matter of time before everything became his. There was no way some wild card would ruin his plans. Then again, this Ganon's presence might be useful- if only to distract the rest of the alliance from Bison's own goals...

M. Bison was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice, that underneath Magikoopa's coke bottle glasses, the turtle's eyes were a piercing red color.

_Level 10 complete_

**A/N **Wooo, it's been a long one, hasn't it. I've been having less time to write here in the real world- new jobs, social obligations, and most of all, SMASH BROS FOR THE 3DS! And it is the Bomb! I've been so wrapped up that it's hard finding time to just sit, concentrate, and write.

This chapter turned out a bit differently than I expected. I was originally going to have Zelda and Amaterasu escape, and team up with Pit and Morrigan outside the ship, but I realized that it would be easier for the rest of the story if they got captured. Convinient? Yes. Lazy, probably.

Tune in next time!


End file.
